


Seven Clans

by Keolah



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Defying Tradition, Drama, Druids, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Paladins, Warlocks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-07-17
Updated: 2009-07-17
Packaged: 2017-11-13 17:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/505848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Keolah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rishi was born into a family of warlocks, but he aspires to be something more. Instead, he defies all tradition to become a paladin instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> The Seven Clans system was designed as a variation of Magic's five colors, but with seven "colors" instead.

Rishi nervously approached the old man, Shalosh Ora, in the clerk's offices early in the morning. The place wasn't particularly busy at the moment, and he was able to catch the man alone to speak with him privately. He looked around nervously to make sure nobody else might be listening before speaking up. 

"Shalosh, sir," Rishi said, looking up at him hopefully. He was sixteen years old, but he had never been a large child, and the aging knight towered over him. "May I speak with you for a moment?" 

"Yes, of course," Shalosh said, turning to examine him. "Are you here for healing?" The way the man looked at him, Rishi feared that he might notice every single scrape, bruise, and poorly-healed scar on his body. 

"No, sir, not exactly," Rishi replied. "I-- I wish to learn the ways of the Korata. I want to be a paladin." 

Shalosh looked down at him piercingly, and Rishi could swear that he saw his third eye open for a moment, as if evaluating him on more than one level. "Your heart is strong, young one, and you mean well, but why do you wish me to teach you?" he said. "You are not one of my clan. You are a Glemarn." 

"Could it be that someone might have been born into the wrong clan?" 

Shalosh gave a slight shrug. "Perhaps." He looked at the boy intently. "But are you willing to do what it takes to learn our disciplines and put them to proper use?" 

"I'll give whatever it takes," Rishi replied. 

"You'll need to give more than that, my child," the old man said. "You'll need to give everything." 

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir." 

Shalosh chuckled softly. "We'll see how much you understand. If you're really serious about this, come back tomorrow night just after sunset and meet me in the temple. Come in through the back way. We shall see just how prepared you really are." 

"Yes, sir," Rishi repeated. "I will be there. I promise." 

"Move along now, child. I have work to be doing." 

"Yes, sir." Rishi darted off hastily, heart pounding excitedly in his chest. The prospect that Shalosh himself might actually teach him thrilled him more than he would care to admit at the moment. But he had dreamed about this for a long time. 

* * *

"You're aware that this is highly irregular, I'm sure," Shalosh said, leaning back in his chair in his office in the temple. 

"Yes, sir," Rishi said. "I understand. I very much appreciate the opportunity to even speak with you about the possibility." 

"Yes, well..." Shalosh shook his head faintly, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair. "I'm not willing to bend the rules a bit for you without good reason. How sincere are you really? How far are you willing to go? Words are not an adequate answer to these questions. You must pass my tests." 

"I'll do whatever you ask of me, sir," Rishi said nervously. 

"First off," Shalosh replied with a chuckle. "Stop calling me 'sir'. I am not an active knight anymore, merely a priest now." 

"Yes, s-- um... alright." 

"Much better. Now, tell me, what is your name, boy, and why do you want to be a paladin?" 

"Rishi. My name is Rishi Azvara. And I want to fight for what's right, to defend the helpless and protect people. I want to try to make the world a better place and keep away evil and disease. I-- I don't think I could really do that with any of the occupations normally offered by the Glemarn." 

"No, the Glemarn tend to be more interested in knowledge and the arts, with little regard as to what their knowledge is being used for," Shalosh said, only mildly derisively. "You, however, are not a typical Glemarn." 

"No, s-- um... No, I'm not. I've little interest in a lot of the things they partake in at times. And I assure you that I am not asking this simply for the knowledge involved." 

"The Glemarn are right in that knowledge can be quite powerful," Shalosh said, standing and pacing slowly around the room with his hands behind his back. "However, it can be misused, as anything can. All things must be put to their proper use, in the right way and for the right reasons, or much darkness can result." 

Rishi nodded slowly. "It's an obsession at times, and I think it blinds them. I really don't agree with some of the things they've been doing lately. I don't like it. It feels wrong to me." 

Shalosh paused and looked directly at him, seeming to peer into his very soul. "Would you seek to uphold what is right even if it meant fighting against your own clan to do so?" 

Rishi looked back up at him and said after a moment, "Yes. I would." 

"Very well. As your first test, I want you to find something that you believe someone close to you is misusing, and deprive them of it by whatever means you feel necessary and prudent. Do you think you can do that?" 

"I can do that," Rishi said with a nod. 

"Good. And I don't think I need to remind you of the potential consequences should you be caught doing something someone will be unhappy with you about. Are you also prepared to face those consequences?" 

"I am," Rishi said quietly. 

"Go, then. Return to me here when it is done." 

"I will. Thank you." He gave a small bow and headed quickly and purposefully out of the temple. He already had a target in mind, that had been bothering him for some time now, but only now had the impetus to act on it. He would steal one of his sister's books, and burn it if necessary to keep it out of her hands. 

Rishi returned home to the Azvara House, quietly creeping in through the back. It wasn't as though anyone would actually be asleep already, though, but he didn't care to try to explain just where he had been. He headed back into one of the studies, but although the room was silent, he discovered when he stepped inside that it wasn't unoccupied. His older sister, Sundari, was perusing an old tome in the back of the room. 

"Oh, there you are, Rishi," Sundari said, glancing briefly up at him for a moment. "You want to give me a hand with something here? It won't take long." 

Rishi's heart jumped into his throat. "What do you need?" Sundari was always so sickly sweet with anything she said. 

"Bring me six candles from the storeroom," Sundari said, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, and I'll need a knife, a nice sharp one. Meet me with them in the courtyard." 

"Um. Right. I'll do that," Rishi replied uneasily. He didn't want to think just what sort of thing she had in mind for that. 

Rishi turned and headed off to the kitchen, pulled out a knife from a drawer, and collected some candles from one of the cupboards. What was he going to do? Sundari terrified him, but he refused to be seen a failure for Shalosh. If he couldn't prove himself for one simple task, he might never get out of this operation. He had to do something, no matter the consequences. 

He went along down to the courtyard in the center of his family's manor. Sundari was already there waiting for him. "Took you long enough," she said with a snort. "Did you get what I asked for? Bring them over here." 

Rishi obediently went over to her and sat the candles and knife down beside her. "There you go," he said. 

"Hope you weren't planning on leaving just yet," Sundari said sweetly. She held up her book and pointed to one of the pages to show him an image of a strange sigil. "See this rune? Take that knife and draw it on the ground in blood." 

"In blood?" Rishi repeated dumbly. 

"Your blood, of course. Get to it, now. And if it's not perfect you're going to clean it up and do it again." 

"Sundari..." Rishi said, feeling sick to his stomach. 

"What? Do you want to be punished again?" Sundari said, turning to look at him and folding her arms across her chest. "You know the way of it. The ones who can't take power for themselves must serve the ones who do. You're completely inept at magic, so your lot is to help those of us who are actually competent. You'll never amount to anything but a lackey unless you can finally learn to reach out and take power where you can." 

"I won't do this," Rishi said, shaking his head. "And I'm not going to help you anymore. I won't be your lackey and I won't be your slave." 

"Oh, so you do have a spine after all," Sundari said lightly. "I'm afraid it's not quite that easy, though. Take off your shirt." 

"No," Rishi said firmly. 

Sundari rolled her eyes. "Your defiance is amusing, but useless." She made a quick gesture, and Rishi suddenly found himself frozen in place. "You are powerless and helpless, and you know it. Why do you resist?" 

Rishi could not reply, as he felt his shirt peel itself off of him, and his body press itself face-first against the house wall, like a puppet. Why did he have to do this? Enough of this all. It was time to stop this here and now. 

"Because it's right," Rishi grated out, fighting against her magic with every ounce of strength and willpower he had. 

"What?" 

"Because what you're doing is wrong." 

"What are you doing?" Sundari sounded very flustered, and Rishi realized that her hold on him was no longer as secure as it had been. He could move again, laborously and painfully, but he could move. He turned around slowly to face her again. 

"I'm defying you," Rishi said. "I'm standing up for what's right. I will have no more of your Black Magic. And I'm leaving. Right now." 

"You can't do this," Sundari said. "Where in the world would you even go? You're an Azvara Glemarn, born and raised! You're one of us, Rishi. You always will be, however you might try to defy that!" 

"No," Rishi said, shaking his head and shaking off the last of the spell. He leaned over and picked up his shirt off the ground where it had fallen, and pulled it back on. "I've had enough. Goodbye." 

He turned and strode out of the manor, leaving Sundari behind in the courtyard staring wordlessly at him as he left. 

It was just after midnight when he arrived back at the temple. Shalosh was still there in his office, as if waiting for him. He looked up at the boy when he walked in, and said, "Ah, you're back, boy. Have you completed my task? Have you deprived them of something they have been misusing?" 

"Yes," Rishi said. 

"What did you deprive them of?" 

"Myself." 

From the broad grin on Shalosh's face, Rishi could tell that this was the right answer. This was exactly what Shalosh had been looking for. "Excellent." Shalosh stood up and put a hand on Rishi's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Rishi. Know that no matter what else might happen, you will always have a home among the Korata."


	2. Training

"These will be your quarters during your training time here," Shalosh said, opening the door and gesturing Rishi inside. "You'll be sharing the rooms with my grandson, Baz Ometz." 

"You have a grandson?" Rishi asked, stepping into the room and taking a look around. It was austere and clean, but there were signs that it had been lived in. An open chest full of clothes sat at the end of one of the two beds, and a wooden practice sword was propped in one corner. 

"Oh, yes," Shalosh replied. "He's about your age, perhaps a bit younger. You'll likely be taking some of the same lessons." 

"He'll have a head start on me," Rishi said. "He's probably been preparing for this all his life. I'll need to work twice as hard to catch up." 

Shalosh chuckled softly. "Perhaps not so much as you might think, but I will be most disappointed in you if I bent the rules to allow you this chance, only for you to squander it." His confident grin told Rishi quite clearly he didn't think such a thing was likely. 

"I won't," Rishi assured him. "I promise." 

Shalosh patted him on the shoulder. "I know. I have faith in you, Rishi. You have a good heart. Now, settle in. You'll need to be ready for your first lessons tomorrow. Dinner will be ready at sunset." 

"Thank you, Shalosh," Rishi said, bowing his head to him before turning to head into the room. He hadn't brought anything with him but the clothes on his back, so he didn't exactly have anything to unpack or arrange. Instead, he went over to the second bed and laid down to relax a bit, letting out a deep breath and closing his eyes. This was the first time in longer than he could remember that he felt free to actually relax without fear of anything horrible happening when he wasn't paying attention. It was an incredible relief. 

Rishi heard the door open, and blinked his eyes open to see another boy standing in the doorway. The lad was about fourteen, maybe fifteen, with darkish orange hair and a face covered in freckles. "Hello?" the boy said in confusion. "What are you doing in my room?" 

Rishi sat up to look at him better, and said, "Oh, sorry, I guess Shalosh hadn't told you I'd be here. It was all kind of sudden, I think. You must be Baz. I'm Rishi Azvara. A pleasure to meet you." 

"Yeah, I'm Baz, but you still haven't explained what you're doing here. You're a Glemarn! What's going on here?" 

"I'm here to learn to be a paladin," Rishi said. 

"What?" Baz said in shock. "You? A paladin? You're an Azvara! Isn't Abikarin Azvara the most notorious warlock on the continent?" 

"He's my grandfather," Rishi commented quietly. 

Baz's jaw dropped. "Your grandfather. And you want to be a paladin? Did the old man completely take leave of his senses or something, or did we just really lower our standards on who we let on this operation?" 

"It's not like that," Rishi said, shaking his head. "You don't understand. I'm not like them." 

"I should hope not!" Baz said. "So then, tell me. Why are you here? Why do you, of all people, want to be a paladin, and why did the old man let you in?" 

"I want to fight for what's right. I want to defend the innocent, and bring justice to those who would harm them." 

"Pretty words. I don't believe it. I don't know how you pulled the wool over the old man's eyes, all three of 'em, but I've got my two on you, and you better believe that if I get the slightest _whiff_ of any Black Magic stink from you, you'll be hurting more than you can imagine." 

"That's doubtful," Rishi murmured, barely audibly, then said aloud, "Don't worry. You won't." 

* * *

"So, I see we have a new student here." The gruff voice belonged to a bear of a man who strode up to inspect Rishi like a bug. The sun suddenly felt very hot and Rishi felt very small alone amongst the other students. "What makes you think you can stand up to what I'm going to put you through, Azvara?" 

Rishi stammered, "Because I have to, sir. Failure isn't an option." 

The large man snorted, and Rishi could swear that he heard the other students sniggering at him. "Fair enough. Just know that you're here by Shalosh's blessing alone. Try to keep up," he sneered. "Everyone! Get down and give me fifty!" 

Garzen Khazak was a merciless instructor, and Rishi just knew that his muscles would be protesting later. He'd known his share of pain before, to be sure, but Glemarns didn't tend to be heavy on the physical exercise. To his credit, Rishi didn't think he'd done too badly. He hadn't passed out or stumbled much, at least. 

"So," Sir Garzen said, approaching him after the lesson. "Ready to throw in the towel yet, Azvara?" 

"No, sir," Rishi replied. "I will do whatever you demand of me. I'm not going to back out now." 

"Good," Garzen said. Rishi thought he caught the faintest hint of an approving grin on his face. "I didn't think those puny Glemarn muscles were about to keep up." He chuckled softly. "You get a break now. Go get something to eat. You'll get to listen to Alon Kadosh lecture for a few hours. Try not to fall asleep." 

Garzen went off, leaving Rishi to ask Baz, "Where's the food?" 

Baz smirked. "This way. Come on." 

The students were primarily dining in a moderately large mess hall, chatting boisterously and far more animatedly than Rishi was used to. Glemarns were quiet, somber, contemplative, for the most part, but these people were none of those things. They were loud and lacking in any subtlety or guile. When they laughed, their laughter was pure and not cruel. Rishi liked them immediately. 

"I'm sure the old man would want me to show you around, whether I like it or not," Baz muttered. "But that doesn't mean I have to eat with you." 

"Wouldn't you want to keep me close, so you can keep a better eye on me?" Rishi replied smoothly. 

Baz stopped with his mouth open to reply, hesitated, closed it again, then sighed and said, "Oh, fine. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Come on, then." 

After they grabbed some food, Baz went over to sit down at a table with two other boys. One of them was very broad, while the other was wiry and sinewy. They glanced up as the two of them approached, and looked somewhat distasteful when they saw Rishi. 

"What are you doing with Azvara, Baz?" asked the thin boy. 

"Keeping an eye on him, of course," Baz replied. "Best to keep him where we can see him to make sure he doesn't get into any sort of trouble, don't you agree, Ponti?" 

"Hah, good idea," Ponti said. 

"But what if he tries to cast a spell on us?" the large boy asked. "I hear those warlocks can curse you just by looking at you funny!" 

"Oh, relax, Gesher," Baz said. "That's just superstition. Spells don't _really_ work that way. Uh, right?" He looked questioningly aside at Rishi. 

"I'm not a warlock," Rishi said with a touch of exasperation. "And no, most people can't do magic without some indication that they're doing something... words, gestures, runes, whatnot. Sometimes a mix of one or more different things, even. But you don't have to worry about me, really. I never had any talent with that sort of magic." 

"So you say," Ponti said. "But how do _we_ know that? Are we just going to take your word for it that you're a good guy?" 

"Know a friend by his actions," Rishi said. "Words can be lies." 

"True enough," Ponti admitted reluctantly. 

"That sounds like the sort of thing Father Alon would say," Gesher said, making a face. 

"Hey," Baz said. "Just because _you_ can't stay awake to follow his lectures doesn't mean the rest of us don't recognize that a paladin needs more than mere muscle to get by. You've gotta use your brain, too." 

"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Rishi said. 

"You would be, I imagine," Baz said. "That's more of a Glemarn sort of thing, sitting around talking and thinking. Well, they don't have the monopoly on being able to think, and Alon'll teach you one thing you'll never learn from a Glemarn." 

"Morals?" Rishi asked. 

"Got it in one. That's what sets _us_ apart from the other clans. Oh, sure, they're not all so bad as some of them are, but they don't take their morals nearly as seriously or as strictly as we Korata do. And while you might manage the physical aspects of the training, and I'm sure you'll excel at the tests of knowledge, I still have my doubts that you can cut it on the moral side, Azvara." 

Rishi didn't bother to argue and merely said, "We'll see." 

* * *

Father Alon was a middle-aged man whose hair was rapidly turning white, but not quite there yet. After the incident with Sir Garzen, Rishi braced for being singled out for ridicule of some sort, most likely by being asked some question he had no hope of being able to answer off the top of his head. To his surprise, the priest hardly even seemed to notice him at all. 

"Welcome back, class. Yesterday, we were discussing the causes of the Peninsula War. Have you all given consideration into the motivations of the sides involved in the conflict?" 

The general rumbling around the room seemed to indicate that the class tended to prefer forgetting about Father Alon's lectures once they ended. They'd rather go off and relax for the most part instead of worrying about long-past wars in their precious offtime. 

"As I expected," Alon said with a patient sigh. "As we were discussing, the war started over the marriage rights of the princess of Brightwood. Being an Astakal, she did not wish to marry the warlord of Torhaven, who was a Venari that had conquered the region by force." 

"Why should she be forced to marry anyone she didn't want to, anyway?" Rishi was surprised to hear a feminine voice speak up from the opposite side of the room. "She wound up in an arranged marriage with a Korata when all was said and done. Does that really make us any better than the Venari, though? She still had no choice in the matter." 

"An intriguing observation, Mira," Father Alon said, turning to her as he paced at the front of the classroom. "While the Korata knight defeated the warlord Bal Kriger, does that really give him the right to the hand of the princess? Did anyone think to ask _her_ opinion on the matter? Did she secretly love a Handene page instead?" 

Alon went on at length about the various matters surrounding the Peninsula War, and while Rishi could tell most of the class had already tuned out for the most part, he listened with rapt interest. He also tried to get a glimpse of Mira, but he could not see her from this side of the room, as there were too many other students in the way, so he stopped trying for fear of looking too obvious about his curiosity. After class, however, he went to track her down. 

Mira was a slight girl of about fifteen years old, with dark hair cut short in an almost boyish fashion. When she saw his attention, she glanced up and said, "Yes? Are you new here? I don't recall seeing you before." 

"Oh, yeah, this was my first time in class," Rishi said. "I'm Rishi Azvara. I just thought I'd introduce myself and I wanted to say I thought your arguments were very thought-provoking." 

Mira raised an eyebrow when she heard his name, but otherwise let it pass without comment. "Mira Tov. I'm glad at least _someone_ was paying attention in there. Some of those boys, you'd think they're Venari for all they want to think with their muscles instead of their brains." 

"Are you studying to become a cleric?" Rishi asked. 

"No, I'm going to be a paladin," Mira replied. 

"A paladin?" Rishi said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't see you at Sir Garzen's exercise class earlier, though." 

"I was busy running errands for my mother again. She's not very well and can't leave the house much right now. Why, are you surprised that a girl would want to be a paladin?" 

"Well, maybe a bit," Rishi said sheepishly. "I've just never heard of a girl paladin before." 

"I've never heard of an Azvara being a paladin before, either," Mira retorted. "But if you can do it, I certainly can." 

"I'm sure you'll make a great paladin, though." 

"Heh!" Mira said, giggling. "We've both still got a long way to go."


	3. Reckoning

Rishi's training went on for about a week without too much incident. That weekend, he had some time off and made down to town with Baz and his friends. 

"Here we are again, dragging along the Azvara boy to keep him out of trouble," Pontikos drawled. 

"He hasn't been too bad so far," Gesher put in. 

"Yeah, you just wait, he's just waiting for the chance to make his move," Baz said, giving a wry side look to Rishi. "One of these days, when our backs are turned, he's just going to curse us to hells and gone." 

Rishi just smirked faintly and didn't waste his breath on arguing with them, and quietly tagged along. The town was bustling with street vendors all trying to sell their wares, but he gave them only the most cursory glance as he didn't even have any money anyway. There were some disadvantages to having left the Azvara house, but he had no real regrets over it. It's not like they'd given him much of an allowance anyway. 

"Hey, look!" Ponti said, pointing off toward the outdoor theater. "They've got a new play out!" 

"'Warrior's Blood', sounds like it has swordfighting in it," Gesher said. "Let's go see." 

There was already a short queue leading up to the admittance stand, although the play itself didn't actually start until noon. The four of them approached, and upon seeing the sign that stated admittance was two coppers per person, the other three boys began digging in their pouches to hand over the coins. 

"I don't have any money on me," Rishi said, not wanting to admit that he didn't actually have any money _at all_. 

"So go rob your family, Azvara," Ponti retorted. "I ain't paying for you." 

"It's only two coppers," Rishi said. "I'd like to see the play, too." 

"Two coppers we'd never see again," Ponti said with a snort. "Hells with keeping an eye on you. Get lost." 

"You could be more polite about it," Gesher said, then looked apologetically to Rishi. "Sorry." 

"It's okay. I'll go find something else to do. Have fun." Rishi shrugged and wandered off by himself. 

Rishi meandered between some stalls offering handmade crafts and delicious-smelling food, and wished that he could at least buy himself a snack or something. The school didn't offer any desserts or treats in between meals, strictly keeping itself to nutritious, healthy food. 

To avoid drooling too badly over anything and embarrasing himself further, he turned away from the crowded marketplace and off into the quiet gardens. The well-trimmed and maintained verdant section was all but deserted today, and one could easily lose oneself in reverie and thought amongst the placid fountains and sculpted hedges and topiaries. 

"Hey, look what we have here?" a cutting voice interrupted his thoughts. "If it isn't our wayward cousin. What do you think we should do with him, Kzati?" 

Rishi turned and looked in dread as he saw his cousins, Gada and Kzati, approaching him. The boys were brothers, Kzati a year older than him and Gada a year younger. And today they looked to be out for blood, and from the cruel expressions on their faces, Rishi had to imagine that they wouldn't be satisfied with just killing him, either. 

"You shouldn't leave the protection of your new paladin friends, cousin. You never know what might happen. You might wind up meeting a little accident." 

"Hello there, cousins," Rishi said as amiably as he could manage at the moment. "Nice day, isn't it?" 

Before he could do anything else, Kzati snapped out an arcane word, and Rishi suddenly found it difficult to breathe. His vision was swimming, and he stumbled and fell on his face in the dirt. Distantly, he could hear the boys laughing at him cruelly. Pain hit him like a brick wall, and he realized they were kicking him, but that became a secondary consideration as he found himself coughing up blood. 

He was alone. No one knew he was here, and there was no one to save him. If there was to be any salvation for him, he would have to do it himself. With all the will he could muster, he fought their curses and tried to shake them off. His head slowly cleared, and he rolled over into a squatting position, clenching his teeth against the agony. 

"Kzati!" he snarled. 

"Hey, look, Gada, he's trying to fight back," Kzati sneered. 

"So much more fun that way." 

Gada swung his foot at him to try to kick him again, but Rishi grabbed it and pulled him off-balance, and Gada went tumbling. Kzati started to utter another spell, but Rishi punched him in the face, disrupting his concentration. He was glad for Garzen's lessons, since as little as he had learned thus far, he felt himself at least one step above Glemarns who relied entirely on their spells to do their work for them. 

"You bastard," Kzati said, holding a hand to his face. His nose was bleeding a little. "Come on, Gada, leave it. He's no paladin... just a barbarian." 

Gada climbed to his feet again and brushed himself off. "You haven't heard the last of this," he said, shaking a finger at Rishi. 

"You'd best remember that not every spell requires the victim to be within arm's reach," Kzati added. "I imagine Grandpa isn't happy about your defection either. Perhaps he has something special planned for you." 

Kzati's sinister grin still looked menacing even with blood running down his chin. The two brothers turned and headed off again with as much dignity as they could manage. Rishi was certain that this would not be the last incident, however, and resolved to be more cautious in the future. He'd let his guard down this time, without even thinking about the potential consequences. That sort of thing simply would not do for a paladin. 

* * *

"Azvara! You're a mess!" Gesher said. "Are you alright? What happened?" 

"I bet he tried to curse somebody and they decked him for it," Pontikos suggested. 

"Hush, Ponti," Baz said. "My old man will _ground_ me if he sees him like this. _We_ were supposed to be looking out for him." 

"I'm okay," Rishi said. "Just need to clean up a bit. I ran into a couple of my cousins who thought to make an example of me or something." 

"Come on, let's get back to the school." Baz wasn't quick to offer him a hand, however. 

The four boys went back to the school, and Baz quietly rushed them into the bathrooms to wash and get changed before anyone saw them. He seemed more than a little nervous about the entire business. Rishi had to wonder whether it was because he was feeling guilty out of some sense of responsibility for the matter, or whether he was just afraid of being caught in an apparent act of negligence. Either way, he wasn't about to complain at the moment. 

The other students were still out taking advantage of their off time in the sunny afternoon, so Rishi had the communal shower to himself for now. The hot water stung a bit, but it felt good on his slightly battered body. He was sure that he'd have bruises later, but it certainly could have been a lot worse. It was enough to make him grateful that he no longer had to put up with regular beatings and floggings, either. 

Rishi finished up his shower and got dressed again, and went outside. Gesher, Baz, and Ponti were still loitering outside, and their conversation halted abruptly when they saw Rishi emerge. 

"Ah, good, you look much better now," Baz said. 

"Is your family really that upset about you wanting to be a paladin?" Gesher wondered. 

"You better believe it," Rishi replied. "For a while there I thought they were going to _kill_ me. They just might have if they'd thought they could get away with it, too." 

"They would have killed you over that?" Baz said, raising an eyebrow. 

"I don't believe this crap for a moment," Pontikos said. "Are you going to take _his_ word for it that this was really what happened? I bet he was trying to pull something while our backs were turned, and got burned for it!" 

"That's not really fair, Ponti," Gesher said. 

"Either way," Baz said, shaking his head a bit. "We'd best keep a closer eye on him in the future." 

"Damn straight," Ponti said. "I'm watching you, Azvara. You might've got Gesher fooled, but you're not fooling me. I'll be watching you, every hour of the day, so don't even think about twitching a finger in the wrong direction." 

"I hope I won't disappoint," Rishi said quietly.


	4. Illness

Rishi's training went steadily on. Ever since his encounter with his cousins in the park, he'd been feeling slightly nauseous and uneasy, in fear of some sort of curse of reprisal, and hadn't left the school grounds since. While he enjoyed Mira's presence and her interesting discussions in Father Alon's classes, her presence in class had become more and more sporadic. He had to wonder just what sort of errands would keep her out of class so much when she had wanted to become a paladin so much. 

"Students," Father Alon said one day. "A moment of silence, if you will. Today we have had a great loss to our community. A great woman has been taken from us too soon, one of our strongest souls, a beloved cleric. Let us pay our respects to the late Cara Tov." 

The entire class went quiet for a long moment. Rishi hadn't realized that Mira's mother had been quite so badly off. She'd always seemed to imply that it was just a minor, passing thing, that her mother would be better in time. Cara Tov had only been in her early forties. 

Alon went up to where Mira was sitting and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you certain that you do not wish to take some time for yourself to grieve?" 

"No," Mira said. "I'll... I'll be fine. I just want to give my mind something to do. Can we get on with the lesson, please?" 

"As you wish." He proceeded to go into a lengthy discussion about the social structure of the Seven Clans and their interactions with one another. Rishi already knew which clans were acceptable to marry into which, and he was all too familiar with the acceptance of cross-clan occupations. 

"I have a question," Gesher put in. "Why are Glemarn and Telana considered opposing factions? They're both interested in knowledge, aren't they?" 

"That's something of an oversimplification of it, Gesher," Father Alon replied. "Does anyone know the answer to Gesher's question? Rishi?" 

Rishi felt his stomach churn for a moment, and he shook his head. "Sorry. I couldn't tell you." 

"Yes, your own family is somewhat unusual for Glemarn," Alon said. "You'd think that Glemarn and Telana would be the perfect match. They both favor gaining knowledge, both tend toward patience and discipline, why are they on opposite sides of the clan wheel?" 

"For that matter," Ponti added. "Why is Telana considered allied with Korata? They're nasty necromancers!" 

"That's a generalization, Pontikos, and not a wholly accurate one, either," Alon replied. "Telana's clan symbol is the hourglass, and that succinctly represents their primary focus: Time, not death. Death is an inevitable part of time, but so too is life." 

Rishi found himself looking over in Mira's direction, but he couldn't see her to tell whether or not she was shifting uncomfortably at the discussion. She didn't have anything to add to the conversation at the moment, though, and he was a little worried about her for how quiet she had been this class. 

"Now," Alon went on. "Glemarn's clan symbol is a drop of water, representing their prefered element. What does this imply? Anyone?" 

A boy from the front of the class raised his hand and put in, "They make good plumbers?" 

"While Glemarn is, indeed, responsible for the advent of indoor plumbing, that was not quite what I had in mind. Anyone else?" 

Another boy said, "They go with the flow?" 

"Precisely," Father Alon said, nodding. "That's just what I was looking for, Yama." 

"It is?" Yama said with a touch of surprise. "Um. Right, I knew that." 

"Glemarns, as a whole, have a tendancy toward taking things easy, not worrying about the future, avoiding planning and not thinking about the consequences of their actions. While they are both interested in knowledge and power, this makes them diametrically opposed to Telana, who are meticulous planners. While both are patient, Glemarns are patient because they tend not to care what happens next or when it happens. They're happy to take things as they come. This is all stereotyping of course, and there are exceptions to every rule, but the culture which you grow up in strongly shapes who you are and what you become, and even if these trends are defied, they will still carry their influence whether it's realized or not." 

"Is this another one of those 'nature vs. nurture' crap discussions?" Ponti said. "Everyone knows it's in the blood." 

"I'm sorry that you do not appreciate current prevalent thinking," Father Alon commented. "While in centuries past this was what was widely believed, it has since been disproven. It is easy enough to demonstrate if you take a child from a different clan and raise them as though they were a member of another clan. While they might exhibit innate magical powers commonly associated with the clan of their bloodline, their personality and social reactions will fall more in line with the clan that raised them." 

Rishi was feeling a little nauseous again, and was somewhat uncomfortable with this line of discussion himself. He stared pointedly at nothing in particular in hopes of avoiding drawing attention to himself, although it was a futile effort. He had never really thought too much about the specifics of the differences in culture between the clans, beyond the obvious at any rate. He could not, however, deny Father Alon's comment about Glemarns lacking in planning and forethought. He'd been guilty of that himself on more than one occasion. 

When class let out, Rishi approached Mira and said, "Hey. I'm sorry for your loss. Are you going to be okay? Do you want to talk about it?" 

"Yeah. I'm fine," Mira said. "It's just, well, it's been coming for a while now. We just never knew exactly when it would be. The healers couldn't do anything, and it just kept getting worse and worse. I suppose it was a mercy that she finally slipped away, but..." 

Rishi put an arm around her comfortingly. "Life's a precious thing, and it seems so fragile at times." 

"Yeah..." Mira agreed quietly. "Thank you." 

* * *

"Azvara!" Sir Garzen barked. "What are you doing?" 

Rishi's head was swimming and he felt as though he were about to vomit. He could hardly continue to concentrate on Garzen's lessons for the day, and was finding himself beaten soundly by Baz in his sparring. Rubbing his eyes a bit, he tried to focus and turn toward the gruff knight. 

"I'm fine, sir," Rishi assured him. 

"You don't look fine, and that wasn't what I asked you," Garzen replied. "Get out of the ring and go sit down." 

"I'll be fine, sir," Rishi insisted. "I just need a moment--" 

"Don't argue with me. Go take a breather. Now!" 

Rishi swallowed hard and said, "Yes, sir." 

He stumbled over to the side of the room and sat down heavily, cradling his head in his arms and trying to clear his head. He hadn't really been feeling entirely well for the last few days, but it had just gotten worse today. The first fear in his mind was that one of his vengeful relatives had cursed him again for daring to defy tradition. 

"Rishi, are you alright?" It was Mira's voice, but he couldn't focus his vision enough to actually see her. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rishi said. "Just needed to take a moment to clear my head. I must have bumped my head when sparring. I'll get back into the session in a moment." 

"Class is over, Rishi," Mira said. "You've been sitting over here for over half an hour." 

"I have?" 

"Maybe we should get you to the healers," Mira said. "Can you walk?" 

"I don't need to visit the healers," Rishi muttered. He just needed to focus his will and shake off this latest attack of witchcraft on his mind and body. 

"Don't be stubborn. Come on." Mira helped him to his feet. He was surprised at how strong she was, since she certainly didn't look it. Unsteadily he let himself be led along by her, failing to get anywhere in arguing about it, and decided to focus his strength instead on fighting the curse. 

He was still woozy when they got to the healer's office and Mira guided him in. "Oh, have we got another patient?" said a woman in white robes. "Bring him in here and let's see what's wrong with him." 

"He was really out of it at practice today, Sister Bracha," Mira said. "I hope he's not too sick." 

"I'm fine," Rishi murmured futilely as the cleric led him over to a seat. "I'm not sick." 

He felt Sister Bracha casting a spell on him, as if looking through every bit of his body magically. He figured then she'd realize that there was nothing she could do about it and give up and leave him alone. When she was finished scrying him, she pulled out a damp cloth and soaked it in a bowl, rang it out, and dabbed his forehead lightly. 

"Another case of green fever," Bracha commented. "It's been going around lately. Half of the local Astakals seem to have come down with it." 

"It's not green fever," Rishi insisted. "I've been cursed. It was my cousins, or my sister, or my grandfather, or somebody." 

"Hmm," Bracha said thoughtfully. "I'm not picking up any traces of hostile magic here." 

"Maybe they disguised it or something," Rishi muttered. "I know they were going to get back at me somehow. I just know it. Of course they would plant some sort of curse on me to make me miserable or even kill me if they could, if they thought they could get away with it. But I'm not going to just let them curse me. They can't do this to me. I can shake off their spells. They can't make them stick for long." 

Mira frowned. "They said they were going to do this to you?" 

"Yes!" Rishi said. "They're out to get me, I tell you!" 

"Perhaps I should keep you here for further observation and treatment." Lea went over to a table to mix up some herbs and liquids, and poured them into a glass. "Here, drink this." 

"But I'm not sick--" Rishi repeated. 

"It'll help clear up your symptoms a bit so that you can focus better," Sister Bracha said. "Perhaps make it easier for you to resist the curse, if you truly believe that is the cause." 

Rishi thought about this for a moment, and relented half-heartedly. "Alright." He drank the slightly minty mixture, and found that it did help to settle his stomach a good deal almost immediately. 

"You can move along now, Mira, I'll look after him," Bracha said. "He just needs to rest right now." 

"Alright," Mira said, and headed out. 

"And as for you. Let's get you to bed." 

Rishi tried to protest, but found that he was feeling rather drowsy at the moment, and wondered if she'd put more into that concoction than she claimed. How was he to fight the curse if he were asleep? He made an incoherent sound as she helped him into a small private room and to bed, and he was out. 

* * *

Rishi couldn't tell how much time passed as he slipped in and out of consciousness, but he could vaguely remember seeing glowing hands and eyes, white robes, and occasionally receiving herbal drinks. Finally, the smell of something absolutely delicious roused him toward lucidity again. That was a fair sign his nausea was gone, he thought. 

"Mmh," Rishi murmured. "What smells so good?" He blinked slowly and opened his eyes, and his vision cleared as he came to. He was a bit surprised to see Baz in his room. 

"Heh, there you are, Azvara," Baz said. "I was wondering if that would get your attention." 

"You brought me food?" He slowly sat up, more confidently as his head was clear and didn't start spinning again at the slightest movement. There was a large serving bowl of piping hot stew sitting on the table with a stack of bowls and spoons next to it. A basket full of freshly baked rolls sat next to it. 

Gesher entered the room as well, a large pitcher in hand. "Ah, hey, he's awake! I was wondering if we were going to have to eat all this food ourselves." 

"Eat all this food yourself, you mean," Baz said with a smirk. 

Gesher poured some drinks and then ladeled them out some soup, and Rishi eagerly took his bowl and began to eat hungrily, as though he hadn't eaten for days. Adding a hot buttered roll and a glass of cold milk to it just made it all the better. 

"Ponti's here too, he's just hiding and doesn't want to admit to any sort of concern over your well-being or anything," Baz said. 

"Somebody's gotta keep an eye on him," said Ponti's voice from behind the curtains. "Somebody who hasn't been fooled into complacency like you two obviously have." 

"Oh, quit hiding behind that thing and come get some lunch," Baz said. 

"I'll pass." 

Baz shrugged. "Suit yourself. More for us." 

"How long have I been out?" Rishi asked. 

"Two days," Baz replied. "No wonder you're so hungry. They had a small congregation of clerics hovering over you at one point, but they say you'll make a full recovery." 

"Wasn't I cursed?" Rishi raised an eyebrow. 

"Cursed? No, of course not. It was just an outbreak of green fever. Why, did you think your family was going to retaliate on you like that?" 

"I was sure that I'd been cursed..." 

Gesher said around a mouthful of bread, "Everything doesn't have to be a curse." He swallowed, and continued. "Everyone doesn't always have to be out to get you all of the time. Maybe they decided to leave you alone. Or maybe they're just not really planning ahead so much to come up with some elaborate revenge. Your cousins probably only attacked you in the first place as a spur of the moment thing." 

"You may be right about that," Rishi admitted. "I won't put it past them to try something again, and I'm going to need to be careful, but I guess everything that goes wrong in life can't be their fault." 

"The clerics have you cleared to get back into classes tomorrow," Baz said. "Take it easy until then, you need to recover your strength. Goodness knows you have little enough of it to begin with." He gave a crooked grin. 

"So why the sudden concern over my well-being, anyway?" Rishi wondered. "Not, mind you, that I'm complaining or anything here." 

"Who, me?" Baz smirked. "What, you'd think I'm no better than an Azvara?" 

"You seem to think I am, as you keep calling me that. My name is Rishi, you know." He grinned faintly across at Baz. 

"Sorry. Rishi. Habit. I'll call you by your name from now on, okay?" 

"Thanks."


	5. Fear

"Good evening, Rishi. I trust that you are well?" 

Rishi had been lightly dozing after his friends had gone, and he stirred again at the sound of the voice. He looked up to see Shalosh's three-eyed gaze looking down at him from his bedside. The elderly priest was smiling faintly at him, and Rishi didn't really think that he needed to answer the question. Shalosh doubtless knew perfectly well just how he was. Physically at least. 

"I'm fine," he replied anyway. "I get to go back to class tomorrow, right?" 

"Perhaps it would be best if you took tomorrow off as well, and relaxed over the weekend to start up again on Monday," Shalosh suggested. "You've recovered now but you're still fairly weak." 

"I was kind of hoping to get back into class," Rishi said. "I don't want to miss too much or anything." 

"I am certain that you will be fine," Shalosh said. "Your Glemarn schooling would have more than made up for Father Alon's sociological lessons, albeit from a slightly different perspective. As for the physical training, you're too weak yet to handle the class, I believe." 

"You're probably right," Rishi admitted reluctantly. "I can hardly even walk at the moment, never mind fight." 

"Ah, good. From what Sister Bracha told me, I was expecting to have to have you physically restrained due to your stubbornness and insistance on attempting to hurt yourself," Shalosh said lightly, smiling at him. 

"I didn't mean to be so stubborn. I just thought I'd been cursed and wasn't really sick at all." 

"So I've heard. Perhaps in the future you will be more inclined to listen when a cleric attempts to tell you something?" Shalosh chuckled gently. "Why did you believe that you had been cursed?" 

Rishi let out a deep sigh and stared up at the ceiling. "My cousins promised to get back at me. They were certain that my grandfather had something planned for me, too. I don't even know how likely that might be, though. It doesn't really seem his style anyway." 

"Have you had any run-ins with your family members that would indicate continued hostile intent?" Shalosh asked pointedly. Rishi had a feeling that he knew the answer already somehow. 

"My cousins tried to hurt me when we were down in town a few weeks ago. They caught me alone, when the other boys went to see a play. I've tried to be more cautious since then. I haven't gone anywhere alone and have gone to town as little as possible." 

"I see. A modicum of caution is all well and good, but you should not allow fear to rule your every action." 

"You're probably right," Rishi said. "I was careless, really. I'd gotten to starting to like the idea of not being afraid of stepping out of line for once. Finding some balance between paranoia and recklessness will be difficult." 

"I think it's more than that, Rishi. You have left the confines of your family home, but you still hold that family close in your heart and mind, and allow them to affect your actions. They have wronged you, to be sure, but until you can find a way to resolve that, they will forever loom over everything you do. Sooner or later, you must confront them. If you are to be a hand of righteousness, you must be able to deal with wrongs against yourself before you can ever hope to be able to do so for ones against others." 

"I understand, Father Shalosh," Rishi said quietly. He dreaded a confrontation with his grandfather, but he realized that what Shalosh said was right. His constant fear of reprisal was holding him back. 

"Consider it your next test," Shalosh told him. "Face your fears and confront your family." 

Rishi closed his eyes, haunted memories of the past playing against his eyelids. "I spent most of my life being little more than a slave to them just because I had no talent for magic. I was beaten for daring to question what they were doing or why. I was half starved on more than one occasion just to try to keep me in line." 

"You have, however, since then discovered that your will is strong enough to stand against them," Shalosh said. "You are stronger than perhaps you realize you are, but what you will choose to do with that strength remains to be seen. Rest now. Recover your strength, and when you think you are ready, go take your test. I will be waiting for you." 

"Alright," Rishi said, letting out a long, slow sigh. 

* * *

Still weaker than he realized, he found himself sleeping through most of Friday. On Saturday, however, he was feeling better, and he got up and headed outside. It was nice to get a breath of fresh air, and it was beautiful outside, the bright sun of the fading summer shining down in the clear blue skies and a cool breeze brushing past. It was a day he felt like he could do anything. 

He was alone, and most of the students had headed off to town for the weekend. He knew what he had to do, however, and there was no one around to criticize him for it at the moment. His family had magic to be sure, and they were powerful, but he knew how to deal with magic-users. 

Rishi stopped by the kitchens, and found them to be similarly deserted at the moment. He grabbed a nice, sharp cutting knife and hid it in his pants. He was worried that, with the sheath, it would be bulky and obvious that he was carrying something, but he didn't want to risk cutting himself or his clothing. 

His heart was pounding as he headed out of the school grounds, thinking about what he was about to do. He knew he had to confront his horrible grandfather for all that he had done, but even still he had doubts in his mind. He doubted whether he was strong enough to break through Abikarin's spells. He doubted what he might be able to do if other family members showed up to defend him. He also doubted whether he would be able to get away with murder. 

The Azvara house was quiet today, as Rishi had expected given the nocturnal habits of most of its occupants. The warding enchantments on the door still recognized him and let him inside without question. Stomach clenching, he crept through the silent halls like a thief, heading straight for his grandfather's bedroom. When he reached it and peered inside, the room was empty, however. Cursing under his breath, he considered that the old man was likely in his private study, perhaps napping over his books. 

Down the corridors he went, to the study door where he let himself inside. He winced as the hinges creaked slightly, but there was no sound beside that. Sure enough, Abikarin Azvara was snoozing soundly in the big armchair in the study. Rishi quietly closed the door behind him and treaded lightly over toward the man, pulling out his knife as he did so. His hands were shaking and his heart was racing as he held the blade poised over the helpless old man. 

No, he thought. This was wrong. No matter what Abikarin had done to him, a paladin would never murder an old man in his sleep. Tears welling up in his eyes, he lowered the knife, still clenching it in a trembling hand. The old warlock's eyes fluttered open to look at him. 

"Rishi?" he said. "My dear boy, you were going to kill me in my sleep? I'm proud of you, boy, I didn't think you had it in you." 

Rishi just stared at him and said, "I didn't have it in me. I couldn't do it." 

"To which I'm grateful, as I would prefer to live for a couple more decades at least. Regardless, I'm just as happy to see such a display of loyalty as to stay your hand." 

Rishi sighed softly and sheathed the knife, and said, "It wasn't out of loyalty, exactly. I just didn't think I would make much of a paladin if I did." 

Abikarin chuckled jovially. "Loyalty need not be acknowledged to be present, young Rishi. You can't help but love your family, regardless of what you might believe, and love and loyalty are one and the same." 

"What? Love _you_?" 

"Of course. You love me even as I love you." 

Rishi blinked. This was not what he had been expecting at all. "You _what_?" 

"Surprised to hear me say that?" Abikarin grinned. "You are young yet, and you have much to learn. I've been eager to speak with you about your recent choice in life paths. Tell me, Rishi, why did you decide to become a paladin? Please, take a seat and speak with me for a bit." 

Abikarin gestured toward another chair, seeming not the least bit unnerved by how close Rishi had come to actually hurting him. More than a little off balance, Rishi took a seat where indicated and let out a heavy sigh, trying to organize his thoughts a bit. 

"You know that I was never cut out to be a magic-user," Rishi said. "I could never quite get a handle on it. The rituals, the arcane words, the runes, the gestures. It was like trying to learn to play the piano while being completely tone deaf." 

Abikarin nodded, listening. "That much I understand. But why a paladin? There are many paths of the Glemarn that do not involve magic. You could have been a great pirate, for instance. No?" 

Rishi shook his head. "None of them really suited me. And I felt that I was meant for something more than mundane labor." 

"Of course, of course," Abikarin said, waving his hand dismissively. "I would be somewhat disappointed were my grandson to turn out to be a mere fisherman." 

"There's nothing wrong with fishing," Rishi said with a shrug. 

"But a paladin? Perhaps with your cunning and stealth, I could put in a good word for you with the Handene schools for rogues or assassins. But I'm sure that would be where you'd be going next were you ruthless enough to have killed your own grandfather." 

"I wanted to be something more," Rishi said. "I felt that there must be something more to life than power and wealth. That maybe I could help others in some way. That I could make a difference in the world." 

"A noble enough thought," Abikarin said, inclining his head toward Rishi. "But you realize that paladins are not all goodness and light, either, don't you? They can be fanatical and zealous, closed-minded and self-righteous. They might believe that their way is the only proper way things might be done, and anyone who disagrees with them is a heretic. Once they form opinions and ideas, they have a tendancy to cling to them despite any evidence to the contrary." 

Rishi thought back to Ponti's behavior. "Yes, I've seen as much myself, from some. From others, I have witnessed a surprising amount of compassion and understanding." 

"Perhaps you could have gone to the Astakal ranger school instead," Abikarin suggested. "They also possess some of those virtues you hold so important, but they are much less likely to be judgmental. Although they do tend to spend a bit much time out of doors for my liking." 

Rishi shook his head again. "I'm going to be a paladin, regardless of what anyone else says." 

"You always were a stubborn boy," Abikarin said, chuckling. "But think on this. If you actually seriously considered, even for a moment, murdering your grandfather in his sleep, do you really think that you would make a good paladin?" 

Rishi made a face at that. "You... might have a point at that, but... I didn't actually go through with it, and that's what really counts, right?" 

Abikarin chuckled. "Perhaps. I do not believe that you're truly cut out to be a paladin. I'm certain that they will not look down on you too harshly if you decide now that this was not what you were meant to be in life, rather than running head first into some disaster of your own making later. We can find you a more suitable path of one sort or another." 

"I'm going to be a paladin," Rishi repeated. 

"As you will. I shall wish you luck in that endeavor, then. Know that we are still your family, and you will always be welcome in this house. If things do not work out quite as you hope, you have but to return here and we will take you in again." 

"I appreciate it, but... why are you being so gracious? You almost sound like you're really happy to see me again." 

"Oh, I am, boy, and I'm proud of you," Abikarin said with a chortle. "You finally grew a spine. I was wondering what it would take to finally make something worthwhile of you. I knew there had to be more to you than the snivelling wretch some seemed to think you were at times. No, unlike some, I appreciate that there are more talents than mere magic that are worthwhile to possess. You just have to find what you _are_ good at, and excel." 

Rishi was more than a little confused at this sudden display of kindness and understanding from his grandfather, and he had to find himself being a bit suspicious of it. "No, really. What do you _really_ want out of me, Grandfather?" 

"Your love and loyalty. No matter what path you choose." 

"I see," Rishi replied. It dawned on him that while Glemarns might not be great planners, they tended to be very flexible and willing to take advantage of any situation that arose. Abikarin might not have planned for his grandson to become a paladin, but since things had transpired the way they had, Rishi figured that he would try to get whatever benefit he might out of it. 

"If you'll excuse me, dear boy, I believe I should get some sleep. Think on what I've said." 

"Yeah..." Rishi murmured. Abikarin headed off to his chambers, leaving Rishi to make his own way out again. He would certainly think on what his grandfather had said. He would think quite a lot.


	6. Penance

"Welcome back, Azvara," Pontikos drawled. "Did you enjoy your visit with your relatives?" 

"Wait, what?" Baz said, raising an eyebrow and looking over at Rishi. "You were where? I thought you were still in bed resting! 

Gesher added, "If we'd known you were feeling up to being up and about we'd have come got you before heading to town." 

"See what I mean?" Ponti said. "The minute your back is turned, he's sneaking off to consort with his warlock kin. What nefarious schemes are they planning, do you wonder? Hmm?" 

"Hold on a minute," Rishi said, raising his hands. "It wasn't like that." 

"Oh, sure, let's listen to his excuses," Ponti said. "Let's let him sweet talk us all again, shall we? I'm _not_ fooled and I'm _not_ listening. You're blatantly trying to infiltrate our honorable school for your own foul purposes. I can't believe anyone is falling for this crap. You see what he's doing, Baz? Don't you? Can't even you see it, Gesher?" 

"Maybe we should let him explain first," Gesher said. 

"Father Shalosh--" Rishi began. 

"--will have some things to say about this as well, I'm sure!" Pontikos said, shaking his finger at Rishi. "Just you wait until he hears that the one he so generously gave a chance to has been conspiring with his evil family behind his back. You're through here, Azvara. And if those fools _don't_ send you away over this, _I'm_ through." 

Without another word, Pontikos turned and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Baz and Gesher stared at him dumbfounded as he left, then turned to look at Rishi. While Rishi was sure Shalosh would explain things to him calmly, he wasn't sure that Pontikos would actually listen to him at this rate. 

"... Father Shalosh wanted me to reconcile with my family," Rishi explained, now that he could get a word in edgewise. "He thought my anger toward them was holding me back in my training." 

"Father Shalosh is wise," Gesher said. "Why is Ponti so angry about this all?" 

Baz shook his head and said, "It does look a bit bad at first glance. But honestly, this is getting ridiculous. I hope the old man can calm him down. What is Rishi going to do, lie to us about it when we could so easily ask my old man for confirmation?" 

"I suppose he has reason to be upset," Rishi said quietly, shrugging. "I need to go talk to Father Shalosh." He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to his friends just yet about his doubts toward being a paladin. Shalosh, he was sure, would know what to tell him, though. 

They headed out, and caught up with Shalosh's office just in time to see Pontikos storming out and slamming another door. Baz stared off toward Ponti for a moment before saying to Rishi, "You go talk to my old man. We'll see if we can talk some sense into Ponti. Kay?" 

Rishi nodded. "Good idea." Unspoken, but he got the impression Baz also seemed to realize he wanted to talk to Shalosh alone. He headed inside. 

"Ah, you're back, Rishi," Shalosh said, smiling up at him from his desk. "I trust your meeting with your family went well?" 

"That was what I wanted to talk to you about." 

"Of course, of course," Shalosh said. "Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chair across from him. 

Rishi sighed and took a seat. "I don't know how to say this," he said, staring at the floor. "I don't know if I can be a paladin." 

"Now, why do you think that, Rishi?" Shalosh asked. 

"I-- I must confess, Father..." Rishi said, tears stinging his eyes again. "I almost killed him. My own grandfather, and I almost _killed_ him. No matter what he did to me, no one deserves to die in their sleep by the hand of their own kin." Rishi found himself shaking, and more than a little freaked out about the entire encounter. "And he was far more polite and understanding than I would have expected him to be. It was... disturbing, to say the least." 

"But in the end, you did not harm him," Shalosh said. "Why did you spare his life?" 

Rishi was surprised at the question. "I couldn't do it," he replied. "Not like that. It was wrong. It makes me sick to even think about how close I came. I am not a murderer!" 

"Why do you believe that this makes you unworthy of being a paladin?" 

"The fact that I ever even considered doing such a thing? Shouldn't a paladin be less bloodthirsty? Less prone to thinking that killing is the answer?" 

Shalosh leaned forward onto his desk. "Rishi, you need not be a saint to be a paladin. In a paladin's line of work, you must realize that killing is sometimes necessary, and be willing to act on that. Sometimes that may lead to doing the wrong thing for all the right reasons, however. A paladin is not expected to be perfect at all times. One thing alone sets us apart from mere warriors and barbarians." 

"What is that?" Rishi asked quietly. 

"The fact that we try to be good and to always do the right thing. We may not always succeed, but what matters is that we never stop trying." 

"I suppose you're right. It's not going to make me stop feeling guilty about it, though. And what am I going to tell my friends?" 

"Only what you wish to, Rishi." 

"But I would hate to be... hiding things from them," Rishi said. Especially when he felt their friendship was so tenuous as it was. 

"If you do not wish to tell them the full details of your visit with your grandfather, you need not do so," Shalosh assured him. "You have confessed your sins to a priest, after all, and priests are bound not to reveal what it told in confidence in a confession." 

Rishi nodded faintly, then said, "It's not enough, though. I should pay penance for this." 

"You certainly should," Shalosh said. "Very well, then. One month of kitchen duty in the evenings on weekdays. And return that knife you stole. I believe it is still in your pocket." 

He touched his hip with some surprise and embarrassment. "Yes, Father," he said. "Thank you." He had to admit in a strange way that he felt better already. He didn't even complain that he didn't know how to cook. 

"You have learned much during your time with us already, but you yet have a long way to go, young Rishi." 

"I understand," Rishi said, nodding. "And I will certainly try my best." He paused for a moment then looked up at him thoughtfully. "Father? What's going to happen with Ponti?" 

"Pontikos Polemos has chosen his own path. I only hope that it does not consume him." Shalosh slowly shook his head. "Do not concern yourself overmuch with him at this time. There is nothing further you can do. You may hope, however, that when you do meet again, that his heart and mind have cooled." 

* * *

Monday evening after Father Alon's class, Rishi arrived in the kitchens for his penance. A little nervous, he reported to the chief of the kitchen, as indicated by his distinctive hat. He was a plump, middle-aged man, and his apron was stained with various different colored sauces that never quite washed out. 

"Always good to have volunteers for kitchen duty," the man said. "I'm Chef Malik." 

"Rishi." 

"Another paladin student, eh?" Malik asked. Rishi nodded. "You know how to cook, boy?" 

"No, sir," Rishi said. 

"Bah, I could just put you to work cleaning and washing dishes, but I firmly believe every man should know the basics of how to cook. Too many of your peers seem to think they're too good for menial labor, even so far as cooking their own meals! Hmph. Well, we'll just have to remedy that, then, won't we? What do you think of that?" 

"I would not mind learning to cook," Rishi said. "If you wished to teach me. I wouldn't want to be a burden." 

"Pfah, another competent cook would be taking a burden off of me," Malik scoffed. "Alright, let's get to work. For your first lesson... boiling water." 

Rishi took to his new lessons enthusiastically, finding them to be surprisingly easy for the most part. Admittedly, Chef Malik was starting him out with simple things that he couldn't screw up too easily, but by the end of the evening he felt that he had accomplished a fair bit. 

"Well, now," Chef Malik said. "You've got a long way to go yet, but you seem to have a knack for this sort of thing. Maybe if you decide you don't want to be a paladin anymore, you could come be a cook!" He gave a hearty belly laugh. "Run along now, it's getting late." 

Rishi headed back to his shared quarters, and found Baz there reading in his bed. "Hey, Rishi," Baz said. "Where were you this evening?" 

"Kitchens," Rishi replied. 

"You were on kitchen duty?" Baz said, raising an eyebrow. "What, did you get penance for something and have to do dishes?" 

Rishi didn't answer about the penance bit, and just said, "Actually, I was learning to cook. Turns out I'm not so bad at it." 

Baz stared at him for a long moment and said, "A Glemarn, cooking? Y'know, that might be even more perverse than you being a paladin." 

Rishi snickered softly and said, "I don't think I'm going to get ostracized for it."


	7. Flames

"The world is corrupt. We must purge it in purifying light and scour it in cleansing flame!" 

Tikari Tuulonen peered over the throng, looking toward the speaker. A young man, perhaps about twenty, had the attention of the rumbling crowd. To Tikari's eye, he looked to be a dangerous sort, the kind who relied on agility as well as raw strength. On top of that, there was his charisma and presence. She knew at once that he was going to be a problem. 

Casually, Tikari approached an aged man who was sitting off to the side, puffing absently on a pipe. "Pardon me, sir, but who is that man?" 

"That young upstart who's driven the crowd mad?" the elderly man replied. "Pontikos Polemos is his name. A Korata in from Fairgrove, apparently." 

"What's he doing in Stormwatch?" Tikari wondered. 

"Stirring up trouble, by the looks of it." The man turned his head aside and spat on the ground. "You wouldn't think people would listen to this rubbish. But they're listening, alright. Mark my words, no good will come of this." 

Tikari absently fingered the hilts of her daggers, tucked away in the folds of her clothing. Perhaps it would be best to deal with this little problem before it got any worse. The last thing she needed was for a crazed fanatic to move in on her watch. She stood back to blend in with her surroundings as well as possible, taking to watching Polemos closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike. 

Bonfires had been lit around the Stormwatch town square, and the zealots were dancing around them, shouting and whooping. There were only about a hundred of them, by Tikari's count. They were probably just bored Venari out looking for any excuse to fight and play with fire. She figured that by removing Polemos from the picture, they'd just go back to their usual routines and forget about this whole matter. 

The sun slipped down into nightfall and the festivities went on, like a roudy party, but Polemos eventually retired to his quarters. Tikari shadowed him to see where he went and pick out which room was his. He was careless. He didn't put up magical wards and his followers who might have guarded him were too busy caring about the dancing flames or getting drunk. This would be all too easy. 

Tikari climbed up a tree adjacent to the building and jumped lightly over to the balcony outside of his window, where she waited quietly. A light wind was blowing in and stirring the curtains, masking any sound or movement Polemos might have detected. Once he was in bed and not moving, Tikari pulled out a dagger, crept inside, and calmly slit his throat. 

Too easy. That worried her, in a way. She decided it would be best to dispose of his body. Tikari quickly gathered him up in the bloody sheets and carried the corpse out to the balcony again, and dropped it off to the ground with a thump. Then she climbed down herself and rolled the bundle down the hill to where it landed in a bonfire at the base of the hill. Good enough, she thought as the flames began to consume the linens. 

She turned and headed back into the inn casually. Inside one of the staff rooms, she slipped into some clothing to make her look at a glance to be a maid, and proceeded to pull out some fresh linens. Tikari took the new bedsheets upstairs and carefully put them on Polemos's bed, making sure that the room looked as though he had never even slept in it. No evidence. 

All in a day's work, Tikari thought as she headed out again, never getting more than a passing glance from any bystanders. That was one problem defused before it exploded. Now it was time to get some sleep. 

* * *

Tikari crawled out of bed at noon the next day, yawning and stretching. After grabbing a bagel from a vendor stall on the way out of the slums, she thought it would be best if she stopped by the town square to make sure the partying Venari had moved on by now. 

The square was crowded with an even larger throng than yesterday. "He speaks!" shouted one man next to a raging bonfire. "Pontikos Polemos speaks to me from the flames! I hear his voice!" 

Tikari frowned deeply, and strolled along the edge of the square, finding the old man from yesterday sitting out on his porch, smoking again. "What in the hells is going on here?" she wondered. 

"Wish I knew, girl," he replied. "They've gone mad, they have. Seem to think this Polemos fellow sacrificed himself in a bonfire to ascend to a higher plane of existence, or some such nonsense." 

Tikari gaped wordlessly for a long moment. "That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard of." 

"You're telling me. Used to be, I had a nice view of the square from this here porch. Now I kind of wish I didn't. Makes me want to rethink the real estate market and move to that nice community for old folks on the edge of town. My papa always told me, Ling, he said, you always keep your eye out and watch yourself. Always make sure that when trouble hits, you're somewhere else, Ling Shen. And that there advice has kept me going for the last eighty years. You'd do well to heed it too, youngun." 

"Thanks for the advice, Ling," Tikari said quietly, looking on with horror at the swelling crowd of zealots. Some of them were branding marks on their skin with fire, in some twisted symbol of devotion, while others claimed to hear Polemos or see visions of him in the flames. It was just the sort of insane religion she would expect of the Venari, but they weren't all Venari, strangely enough. 

"It's done past time to move on. Here Polemos dies mysteriously, and now he's a martyr of sorts. The spark is turning into a bonfire. Where it will end, I can't say." He tapped his pipe and tucked it away, and rose to his feet. "No good will come of this. A good day to you, girl. I am leaving before they burn down my house." 

"Good luck, Ling," Tikari said. 

She stood by and watched the square for a long moment, listening to the mad shouts of the people who had been swayed frighteningly easily by charisma and superstition. She had not thought that Polemos might be more dangerous while dead than alive. Never before had she felt quite so helpless. The situation was excalating out of control, and it was all her fault. But how was she to know if things would have blown over had she allowed him to live? 

These sorts of self-recriminations were not typical for a Handene like herself. She'd rarely had to think about the consequences of her actions before, never mind that they might cause catastrophic effects. She had to warn someone of what was brewing here, and no one around here was likely to do anything. Things were spreading like wildfire, and if she remained here she was likely to get burned or be forced to join in. Ling Shen was right. It was time to leave. 

Tikari slipped back to her den in the slums to grab what little she had stashed away there, mostly some food and a pouch of coins she didn't like to carry with her at all times. She needed to travel fast, so she headed out for the ranch just outside of town. The place seemed deserted at the moment, to her surprise. They were Astakal, and she'd hate to think if they'd joined the growing army of zealots too. Teetering between horror and panic, Tikari headed to the stables. 

"Shh, easy there, girl," Tikari murmured to one of the mares, slipping into the stall and leading the horse out. "Remember me? I'm afraid I don't have any carrots this time, but I promise you'll get some when we get where we're going." 

The gray mare whickered at her as if in reply, and Tikari got her saddled up and out the door as quickly as she could manage without being too careless or startling the horse with her panic. Next stop would be Fairgrove, and that was a few days' worth of travel away. She might have to stop to pick up or hunt down more food along the way, but she wasn't too concerned about that right now. At the moment, she just wanted to get away from here as quickly as possible. 

It was growing late as she reached the next ridge of hills, and she turned to look back at her most recent home in the distance. It might have just been a trick of the lighting, but she could have sworn that Stormwatch was on fire. She hoped that Ling Shen had made it out alright. 

"I really hope I'm freaking out over nothing, girl," Tikari murmured to her horse as she turned to ride away. "I hope this blows over like another stupid fad. Even as I hope that, I know what I've seen with my own eyes, and I can only fear that it will just get worse. How in the hells did this happen? I'm the one who tossed the torch into the straw, and now the barn's on fire. No sense asking you for advice, though. I don't speak equine." 

The mare snickered at her, as if laughing lightly in amusement. For once in her life, Tikari couldn't even find herself amused by her own jokes. A terrible state for a Handene to be in. The world might be about to go down in flames, and even a Handene couldn't find any humor in it. Perhaps it was a sign she was finally growing up, or an indication of just how seriously she had screwed up this time. 

"I just wish I had somebody to talk to other than a horse right now," Tikari muttered. "Preferably someone who wouldn't hang me by my neck until dead just for being a bit of a rogue. Those cultists might be branding their bodies with fire, but I think that fire is going to be forever branded into my mind."


	8. Confession

Tikari was exhausted when she arrived at the edge of Fairgrove. The sight of the town gave no ease to her worries, however, especially when she saw that it appeared to have no walls, stone or wood, to protect it. It was a city that had never known war, a young city built in peaceful times. The sight of it almost made her heart weep. 

As tired as she was, and in need of feeding and tending to her horse, she rode up to the guards' headquarters. "Pardon me," she said to the nearest guard. "I need to speak with your captain at once." 

"Captain's not in right now," said the guard. "I'm his second, Lt. Drys. What do you need?" 

"I've ridden ahead of the storm, Lieutenant," Tikari said. "Your city is in grave danger. A crusade has begun in Stormwatch. I fear that they will soon be at your doorstep." 

Drys's eyes widened and looked at her skeptically. "A crusade, you say? Who are you, that I'm supposed to believe this?" 

"A desparate messenger," Tikari said, looking to the floor. "I would rather advise you to overreact and find myself wrong about this, never to be heeded again, than to watch you all be wiped out where I could have saved you." 

"Okay, look," Drys said. "This is way over my head. This is way over the _Captain's_ head. I'm calling in the Patriarch. He'll know what to do. Come with me." 

Lt. Drys called for someone to watch the place while he was gone, and led Tikari out and down the road toward the temple and headed inside. There was an old man in priest's robes inside the temple, and Drys motioned to Tikari to stay put while he went and talked to the man for a moment. The two of them spoke in hushed voices, and went into a side room where they remained for several more minutes, leaving Tikari to loiter nervously inside the temple. Then Drys came out again and approached Tikari. 

"He wants to talk to you alone. Head inside," Drys said, jerking a thumb back toward the room. 

Tikari gave a nod and headed in. "Father?" she said uneasily, closing the door behind her. 

"Shalosh," the man supplied helpfully, inclining his head toward her. "I hear you have some important information for us, young lady." 

"I'm Tikari Tuulonen," she said, nervously moving over toward him to kneel at his feet. "Father, would you be willing to hear the confession of a Handene?" 

Father Shalosh looked down at her calmly, and a third eye opened in the middle of his forehead, glowing faintly as he gazed at her and seemed to pierce into her very soul. "I will," he said. 

Tikari's heart was racing. She never thought she'd be doing this. "Father, I killed a man," she began. "Well, alright, I've killed lots of men and a fair number of women too, but this one was different. His name was Pontikos Polemos." 

The third eye practically flashed for a moment, and Tikari shivered involuntarily. "Go on," Shalosh said. If he was at all horrified about it, he gave no sign. 

"He was stirring up a crowd with talk of cleansing and purifying the corruption of the world," Tikari explained. "I realized he would be trouble, so I decided to... remove him before he could cause anymore harm. I thought that the crowd would dissipate and forget about it. I thought they were just a bunch of Venari out for a good time. I didn't realize that he would become a martyr and spark a crusade." 

Shalosh continued to stare at her penetratingly. Tikari had never felt her deepest secrets so bared and naked to sight before. "I see," Shalosh said flatly. 

"It was horrible," Tikari said, her voice shaking and her eyes blinded by stinging tears. "They were branding their bodies with fire, scarring themselves ritually, chanting and proclaiming hearing voices and seeing things in the fire. They were _mad_. There's no stopping them now, I don't think, and I didn't know what to do... This is all my fault. All of it!" 

The priest placed his hand on her shoulder and said gently, "Be calm, child. No situation is is unsurmountable, and while your guilt is sincere and admirable, the blame cannot entirely rest with you in this matter." 

"You will call on the city's defenses?" Tikari asked. 

"I already have," Father Shalosh said. 

"You believed me?" Tikari said with a touch of surprise. "Before you even spoke to me?" 

Father Shalosh smiled warmly at her. "Preparations are already underway. I was more concerned of the state of your mind and soul than the veracity of your information. Relax, dear child. You may tell me anything else you wish to ease the burden on your conscious. Have you ever been to a confession before?" 

"No, Father," Tikari said quietly. "I never felt the need to before." 

"How sincere are you in your repentence? Are you willing to confess every sin you have ever committed and submit yourself to the forgiveness of the gods?" 

Tikari thought about that for a moment and said, "I imagine we would be here a while, and aren't there preparations to take care of?" 

"You have done what you can for the moment," Father Shalosh assured her. "Be at ease. The city will be defended as well as we can manage when the time comes." 

In light of this latest disaster, Tikari felt that everything else seemed like nothing. "I'll speak if you're willing to listen," she said quietly. "Because, you know, I've sinned a _lot_." 

"Then speak, and I will listen," Father Shalosh said, and gestured to a chair nearby. "Please, sit." He took a seat himself in another chair. 

"Alright," Tikari said, climbing to her feet and sitting down in the indicated chair, letting out a deep sigh as she did. "I've... never told anyone most of this before. It's bad business, leads to getting caught and all. But I suppose it's a little late to be worried about all of that. I never got caught. I was good at what I did. I didn't really regret any of it, either, not at first." 

"But you found it unsatisfying and unfulfilling in some way?" 

Tikari gave a small nod. "Came to a point I just felt so alone, I wished I could talk to someone. I kept moving on from town to town to cover my tracks and never relied on anyone but myself. I stole on a whim, I killed whoever got in my way, occasionally I took money for jobs but that was a risky business. It always meant there was at least one person other than myself who knew what I was up to, so I didn't like doing it much." 

With a sigh, she began to enumerate all of the crimes she could recall committing. She had a good memory and could quite clearly recall most of them. The faces on people as they died, sometimes in surprise, sometimes completely unsuspecting and dead before they knew it. Sometimes she knew their names and had targeted them deliberately, whereas other times they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and died for her own convenience. 

Tikari could swear that with every account of another death, Father Shalosh's third eye gleamed for a moment, and it felt as though a weight on her soul was lifting one grain of sand at a time. Finally, she grew curious and looked over at him, frowning. "Are you doing something to me?" she asked. "I feel a little strange." 

Father Shalosh blinked for a moment. "I am surprised that you would notice. Not many could feel something so subtle as that. I am using my powers to assist in cleansing the stains from your soul and absolving you of your sins." 

"You-- You can do that?" Tikari said, raising an eyebrow. 

"I can. Does it bother you?" 

"No, no, I'm just surprised, is all." She looked to the floor. "I just never really thought about it before or realized that it was possible. I'm a Handene, after all. My clan hasn't frequently concerned itself with matters of the soul and all." 

"There are always exceptions to every rule," Shalosh said. "Most Handene would also never dare speak confession before me, nor for that matter, enter the temple." 

Tikari smirked. "Yeah, I half expected to be struck by lightning the minute I stepped inside. So what does this mean?" 

"Perhaps you have an innate connection or potential toward the powers of the soul," Shalosh suggested. "Or more likely, I suspect, you are merely more open now than you've ever been, and sensitive to even the slightest things. You also have had quite a bit of sin to absolve. Do you perhaps feel much lighter now than you have in years?" 

"I... haven't felt this good since before my parents died, I don't think," Tikari admitted. "Before I was taken in by the rival thief lord who offered me revenge... with a heavy price I didn't understand at the time." 

"What did he demand of you?" Father Shalosh asked. 

"She," Tikari corrected him, speaking in scarcely more than a whisper. "She... she used me." Her hands were shaking, and she could only hope Shalosh could absolve her of _these_ memories. "Sexually. I was twelve, nearly thirteen, and I didn't understand... I felt so dirty, at first. The things she had me do, and I did anything I could to please her. I snuck into places she couldn't and stole for her. I learned to kill for her." 

"And what happened to change this?" 

"I was afraid. I wanted to run away. I wanted to be free and live my own life and do whatever I pleased. But I feared if I just left, that she would track me down and drag me back and punish me for it. So... I killed her. I loved her, and I killed her. Just slipped up behind her and slit her throat in her sleep. She never suspected her toy would ever dare to harm her." 

She felt a strange warmth spread through her as she said this. Father Shalosh told her, "You are absolved of any guilt surrounding the matter. You are blameless for any act which you were forced to perform, and it was no sin for you to remove yourself from that situation by any means necessary. Sometimes, regrettably, killing is necessary." 

There were tears in her eyes as she looked up to the priest and murmured, "Thank you." 

"The question remains to what path you will choose from here," Father Shalosh said. 

Tikari rubbed her eyes, wiping the tears away, and stared intently at nothing in particular. "I can't go back to that life. It was fun at times, living on a whim, going where the wind took me. But now..." The words were hard to put out, and she almost choked on them. "I will repent. I will seek redemption. In some way or another. For everything I've done." 

"If this be your choice, I will assist you along this path however I can," Father Shalosh said. "But know that it will not be easy. You have come a long way in coming to me, but you have merely set foot on the path. It is up to you to walk it now." 

"Yeah," Tikari said softly. "I suppose I'm going to need to learn a whole new skill set now... I doubt you exactly have any openings in the sneaky lines of work, and I suppose assassinating people would be sinful again." 

"Not necessarily," Shalosh replied. "You need not kill again if you do not wish so, but remember that the sin is in the motive and reason, not in the act itself. As a retired paladin, I know that some deaths are necessary. Some people need to be killed, before they cause further harm to others." 

"Are you suggesting that I become a paladin?" Tikari said skeptically. 

"No," Shalosh said. "But if you so wish, you may turn the skills you already have, as well as learning whichever others you would learn, to better purpose. Paladins may not consider an assassin's duties to be honorable, but sometimes the rogue can quietly accomplish what an army cannot." 

"You would suggest that I become a holy rogue?" Tikari had to laugh at the idea. "But weren't you a paladin yourself once?" 

"I am not so closed-minded as to refuse to acknowledge the utility of any skills which can accomplish what need be done," Shalosh said with a faint grin. "So long as the heart is true and the motive is pure, I will not denounce someone for how they choose to assist the cause of good." 

Tikari nodded. "Very well. But... Would you accept the oath of a Handene? Would you think me sincere or likely to honor it?" 

"I have seen enough of your soul that I will not question your sincerity," Father Shalosh replied. "And I will not reject you for the clan of your birth." 

"Alright." She nodded again, and then knelt at Father Shalosh's feet. "I, Tikari Tuulonen of Handene, hereby swear my loyalty to you and your cause. From this day forward, I will strive to use any abilities at my disposal only toward the cause of good." Perhaps it wasn't the most eloquent oath she could come up with, but it was heartfelt enough. 

Shalosh stood and placed his hand on her shoulder, and said, "I, Shalosh Ora of Korata, accept your oath."


	9. Sanctuary

"Come now, Tikari," Father Shalosh said. "There are some people I'd like you to meet." 

Tikari followed as he led her out across the way to a large stone building with a clock tower. He took her to a grassy area in a small courtyard, where a handful of young men were sparring with practice weapons. Shalosh began pointing a few of them out to her. 

"That one is my grandson, Baz Ometz," he said. "The big one is his friend, Gesher Aluf. And that one there is my most unusual student, Rishi Azvara." 

Tikari raised an eyebrow. That was no Korata name. "You have a Glemarn training to be a paladin here? I'm not sure if it surprises me more that he wished to or that he was allowed to." 

"You'll find that he's not quite a typical Glemarn. Although he bears much of the clan's mindset, his heart is true and his moral fiber is unquestionable." Shalosh waved over in the direction of the young men in question, and gestured them to come here. 

"Ah, Grandfather," Baz said. "What's going on? We heard something about people getting ready for something. Is there danger?" 

"Come with me. I will show you and explain," Father Shalosh said. "But first, I wanted you to meet Tikari Tuulonen." He gestured to her. "You may be working with her in the near future." 

"A Handene?" Baz said skeptically, raising an eyebrow and looking at her askance. 

"Don't judge her too quickly," Gesher said. 

"You're right, I know," Baz said, waving a hand. "I'm just a bit surprised, I'll admit." 

Father Shalosh chuckled softly, and inclined his head toward Baz, and then led them all out toward town. "Yes, she came across a former friend of yours in her travels. You remember young Pontikos, do you not?" Tikari flushed involuntarily at the thought that the man she had murdered had been their friend. 

"Yeah," Rishi said dryly. "I remember how he practically wanted to string me up until dead." 

"His fate was regrettable," Father Shalosh said. "As I feared, the darkness in his heart consumed him, and he has made himself a martyr for a fiery crusade." 

"Oh, that's not good," Baz commented. "Damn. Now I feel guilty. We should have worked harder to try to stop him and calm him down again." 

"Your guilt is admirable, but you are blameless in the matter. You did what you could, but you could not sway a heart and mind set in their path, as destructive to themselves and others as they might be." 

They came to a ridge where the grassy town center could be seen easily, and Shalosh held up a hand and bid them to stop and look. Down below them, a group of green-robed druids was congregated. They were arranged in three concentric circles, and in the middle of them, hands held over her head, was a heavily pregnant woman. From up here, she could hear chanting vaguely, but she couldn't make out the words. 

"What are they doing, Father?" Rishi asked. 

"They are building what will be our first line of defense against the coming storm," Father Shalosh explained. "When the crusade comes to sweep over this town, we will not be here. They will find nothing here to destroy." 

"Wow, nice," Baz said. 

"How is that possible?" Tikari wondered. 

"In the ancient days, before the clans mingled and learned to work together, this land was the ancestral home of the Astakal. They still hold a strong connection to the earth here, and through sharing their powers with one another they are able to accomplish great feats of magic most people would never dream of. The trees will bend and turn about, confusing the invaders and twisting their path away from the city." 

Tikari looked aside at him and said, "It sounds as though you've planned this all out long ahead of time in the event of war." 

Shalosh nodded to her. "It has long been a tactic of the Astakal to protect themselves and preserve their homes. Now, they use it to protect all of us. When we are safe, we will be able to send out agents without fear of retaliation or reprisal, in order to attempt to counter the crusade." 

"Wow," Tikari said. "I had heard stories about forests that confounded the traveller and prevented them from finding what they were looking for, but I had thought them folktales. Nothing more than myths. I never thought I'd see something like this in action." 

Shalosh chuckled softly. "Myths and folklore have a habit of turning out to be true more often than you might realize." 

"So who are these agents you mean to send out into the world?" Rishi asked, glancing aside at Tikari questioningly. 

"Your unspoken guess would be correct," Shalosh said. "As well as the three of you, if you are willing. I will also need to send one of the druids along with anyone who goes outside, otherwise they may not be able to find the place again." 

"You better believe I'm willing," Baz said. "What do you say, guys?" Rishi and Gesher nodded in agreement. 

"Excellent," Shalosh said. "Now, I have other matters to attend to at the moment and further prepartions to make. Please make Tikari feel at home, if you will." He inclined his head toward Tikari politely and headed off. 

"Let's go get something to eat," Gesher said. "Are you hungry?" 

"Starved," Tikari admitted. Between everything else, she hadn't been paying much attention to her stomach growling. "I haven't eaten all day." 

"Dinner sounds good," Baz said. "This way." They headed off toward the mess hall in what Tikari gathered was the local paladin school. She helped herself to an extra serving of food and sat down to eat with the three paladins in training. 

"This is delicious," Tikari said. "Uh, nobody's going to be wanting me to be paying for this, are they?" She hardly wanted to start off on the wrong foot by getting into petty theft again, especially when surrounded by so many paladins. 

Baz laughed aloud. "Of course not. You're our guest. Relax, eat your fill." 

"So, Tikari," Rishi asked casually, "What is it that you do?" 

"Um," Tikari hesitated for a moment. "I'm a rogue." 

"Oh," Rishi said, exchanging odd looks with Baz, followed by an uncomfortable silence. 

"I'm reformed. Really," Tikari assured them. "I won't do anything to offend your paladin sensibilities too badly. Promise." 

Gesher put in, "If Father Shalosh wants her to work with us, he must think that she has skills that would be useful to us in our upcoming mission." 

"Right," Tikari said hurriedly. "I'm good at scouting ahead quietly and seeing what's around. And I could help you get into places and find out things you wouldn't otherwise be able to easily. If he's only going to be sending our small groups rather than an army, he must intend on stealth, infiltration, and sabotage rather than all-out war." 

"It's a point," Rishi admitted. "I doubt we have the numbers or resources to win an all-out war right now." 

"Against this army? Not a chance," Tikari said. "Especially if they decide to go recruiting across the continent, forcibly or otherwise." She sighed deeply. 

"We'll just have to see what our specific orders are going to be," Baz said. " _I_ certainly don't know how to deal with this sort of thing." 

Compulsively watching the door out of habit, Tikari noticed a small woman in a green robe come in and look around the room. "Do you serve druids in the paladin school, too, or is she just looking for something?" Tikari wondered, tilting her head over in that direction. 

"Probably the latter," Gesher said. "I'll go see if she needs some help." He stood up and headed over to the young druid and spoke with her briefly. Then he headed back over to their table with her. "Guys, this is Nia Misitu. She's been assigned to work with us." He introduced them one by one. 

Nia inclined her head toward them. "It will be my distinct pleasure to make sure you loud, trampling paladins don't get lost in the woods," she said dryly. 

"Would you like something to eat or drink, Nia?" Gesher asked. 

"No, thank you," Nia replied. She took a seat at the table with them. "So, what've we got here? Three paladins and a-- what are you again?" she directed at Tikari. 

"A rogue," she supplied helpfully. 

"Right," Nia said, without even bothering to look surprised. "At least you won't be as loud and careless where you walk. Anyway, let's set some ground rules here. When we're in the forest, you do exactly as I say and don't argue about it, even if it seems weird. You will not so much as swat a fly or break a twig without my say-so." 

The three paladins blinked quietly at her. Rishi said uncertainly, "Um... okay." 

"When not in the wilderness, I will follow the orders of the paladin in command of the expedition. I've been told that is Sir Rishi." She nodded to him. 

"We're not actually paladins yet, technically," Baz put in quietly. 

"I've been put in charge of the group?" Rishi said, raising an eyebrow. Tikari had to wonder about that herself, and had to think it must have been something of a controversial decision. 

Nia ignored their comments and went on. "I will assist the team in any way which I am capable of. My abilities include pathfinding, identifying unknown plants, communicating with animals, herbal medicine and first aid. I cannot make vines grow to choke people, conjure food from thin air, pass through plants to instantly travel around the world, summon herds of wild animals to fight for us, nor can I turn into a bear." 

"No bears?" Baz said. "Aww." 

"Try to contain your disappointment," Nia said. 

"Are you even technically a druid yet?" Tikari observed. "You don't look any older than the rest of us." 

"I'm as much a druid as the boys here are paladins," Nia replied dryly. 

"So that's a no." 

"Well, did _you_ go through any formal training to get to where you are now?" Nia asked. "Did they have a rogue school where you came from, where they taught pickpocketing in class?" 

"Not... precisely," Tikari said uncomfortably. 

"Irregardless, while it will yet be many decades before I have learned all that I might learn about being a druid, my instructors believed that this would be a valuable learning experience." 

"In other words," Tikari put in, "they couldn't spare anyone else." 

Nia glared at her. "I also know the locations of every sinkhole, wasp nest, viper pit, and fire ant hill in Fairgrove Forest, as well as the direction of the nearest swamps." 

Tikari had her doubts about that, but wasn't about to push it. "I'm sure your presence will be quite a boon to the party," she said lightly. 

"I'm glad you see it that way," Nia said, smiling coolly at her. "Now, if you don't mind, I will be returning to the druid grove to meditate now. I will seek you out in the morning for further preparations and planning. Farewell." 

Once she was gone, Baz commented half under his breath, "I already don't like her." 

"I wonder why they put me in charge," Rishi said. 

"I'm so not calling you 'sir'," Baz said. 

Rishi snickered softly. Tikari finished clearing off her plate and said, "It's getting a bit late and I've been traveling nonstop for the last three days. Is there someplace I might be able to sleep tonight?" She'd make due with what she could get, but she'd really like an actual bed at the moment. 

"Oh," Rishi said. "Um. Maybe Mira has room and wouldn't mind?" 

"Another friend of yours?" Tikari asked. "Alright, I'll see if I can't find her, then." 

As she climbed to her feet, Gesher stood as well and offered, "I'll help. I think I know where she might be." 

"Thanks, Gesher," Tikari said, smiling at him.


	10. Humiliation

"Your first mission," Sir Garzen was saying, "is gathering information. You're going to be observing and trying to stay out of too much trouble for now. No sense in you getting yourselves killed and leaving us wondering just what's going on out there." 

"How often should we return to report in?" Rishi asked. This was all going to be something of a new experience to him, never mind the whole leadership thing. 

"Normally, you'll be reporting in anything you find out through your assigned druid," Garzen replied. "She can send regular updates through animals as needed. You'll only come back here if for some reason you lose your druid, you become injured beyond your capacity to heal, or you require sanctuary from pursuit." 

"Yes, sir," Rishi said, glancing aside at Nia. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of relying on her so much from the start, but there wasn't really much choice about it at the moment. 

"Prepare yourselves," Garzen said. "You'll leave whenever you're ready. The druids have ensured that the enchantment over Fairgrove is stable and will hold. Collect your supplies, say goodbye to your next of kin, and so forth. May the gods watch over you." 

Without further ceremony, Sir Garzen headed off and left them to their own devices. "Next of kin..." Rishi muttered with a snort, then sighed and shook his head. Whatever he might think of them, Father Shalosh would probably admonish him for disregarding his family. 

Baz and Gesher headed off to their respective homes to take Garzen up on his suggestion, and Nia went off in the direction of the druid grove, perhaps to do likewise. Rishi was left alone with Tikari, still mulling himself over whether or not to visit the Azvaras. 

"Not so eager to see your family, I take it?" Tikari asked. 

Rishi shrugged. "You could say that, I suppose. I'm sure you wouldn't understand." She was a Handene, after all, and they shared a lot of the Glemarns' common traits, being closely allied with them. 

Tikari looked a little insulted. "Yeah, I wouldn't understand the thought of actually having a family to go back to." 

Rishi blinked for a moment and said, "Sorry. I mean, my parents are both dead, but I've still got a sister, cousins, uncles, grandparents. You don't have... anyone?" He found that a bit hard to wrap his mind around. 

Tikari shook her head. "Never knew my grandparents. My parents were far from home, on the run from something they didn't really explain to me, and when they were killed, I tried to find some local Handene to take me in. _That_ certainly worked out well. Even if I've got family out there somewhere, I'd never know them. Not really sure if I'd care to." 

"Wow," Rishi murmured. "How did you ever survive like that?" 

"I became a rogue," Tikari replied. "And believe you me, the life of a rogue isn't glamorous or pretty. It's not something you _choose_. When it comes down to lie, cheat, and steal, or starve to death freezing on the street, you learn to survive quick, or you just don't survive." 

Rishi wasn't sure how to respond to that. He'd never really known any sort of hardship of that sort. He'd never had to wonder where his next meal was coming from. Even in leaving the Azvaras, he'd had someplace to go, somewhere he'd be welcome. Finally he said, "Would you like to come meet my family?" Perhaps he'd be more comfortable if he didn't have to face them alone. 

Tikari gave a small smile and said, "I'd like that." 

With a bit of a shrug, Rishi said, "Alright. This way, then." He led the way out of the paladin complex and back toward the Azvara mansion. 

"This is your home?" Tikari said, raising an eyebrow and staring at the sprawling manor. "It's practically a palace!" 

"Yeah," Rishi said. "I never really thought of it that way. It's just, well, home. I've a lot of bad memories here..." 

"I'm sure it's not as bad as all that," Tikari said. "I'd kill to have a place like this of my own. Um. Not, mind you, that I would, I'm on my best behavior now, really. Well, unless they really deserved it, anyway..." 

Rishi smirked and declined to comment. He stepped up to the front door and let them inside. True to his word, his grandfather had never locked him out of the selective spells warding the manor, even though Rishi had been little inclined to visit these last few years. Tikari followed him through the corridors, staring intently at everything along the way. 

"You better not be thinking of stealing anything, either," Rishi muttered dryly. 

"What?" Tikari said, snatching a hand back a bit too quickly. "No, of course not, wouldn't dream of it. Besides, it's all cursed anyway." 

"An astute one to realize that," spoke the voice of Rishi's grandfather from a nearby doorway. "So who is this lovely lady whom my grandson has brought home with him?" 

"Hello, Grandfather," Rishi said. "This is Tikari Tuulonen. Tikari, my grandfather, Abikarin Azvara." 

"Oh," Tikari said. "Oh, my. It's an honor to meet you, sir." 

"Ah, I see my reputation preceeds me," Abikarin said. "So, a young Handene woman. Have you come to ask my blessing in marriage, perhaps?" 

Rishi flushed in embarrassment involuntarily. "No!" 

Tikari laughed aloud. "I like him already," she said wryly, grinning aside at Rishi. 

"I mean-- I mean, I just met her yesterday!" Rishi stammered. 

Abikarin chuckled and said, "Ah, how quickly and fortuitously the threads of portent arrange themselves! So do you wish to hold the wedding this evening, or wait until tomorrow?" 

Tikari couldn't stop laughing, and Rishi cast a glare aside at her. "That's not why I came here at all! Tikari!" 

"What?" Tikari said with feigned innocence through giggles. 

"Just... Gah!" Rishi cried, holding his head to his hands. "Why did I even bother coming here?" He took a deep breath. "Not that I really care if I never see any of you again." 

"Surely you would," Abikarin said. "Although you have not frequently visited home, I do not begrudge you that, as I am certain that your studies have kept you quite busy. Does your training as a paladin progress well?" 

"Yes. Yes. I've been very busy." Rishi relaxed a little, glad to change the course of conversation. "I've been learning quite a bit. I know how to fight, how to use a sword, and I've even learned a bit of what might qualify as a form of magic." 

"Please, tell me all about it," Abikarin said. "Come, let us go to the parlor. Would you and your betrothed appreciate a bit of tea, perhaps?" 

Tikari put in, "That would be wonderful." She grinned at Rishi in such a way that he wanted to shrink and disappear, but he didn't care to argue now. 

Abikarin led them off to the parlor and called for some tea and biscuits. Rishi uncomfortably spoke a little about his training, all the while casting glances aside to Tikari, who seemed to be enjoying herself far too much. The woman was incorrigible! When the maid came with the tea, Tikari went for it eagerly, even as Rishi uneasily wondered if he should. 

"So tell me," Abikarin said. "How does this holy paladin magic you have been learning work?" 

"I'm not really big on magical theory or anything, you know," Rishi said. "But it's not about all the runes and arcane words that the Glemarns use. It's mostly faith and concentration. It's very subtle." 

"Interesting. Perhaps why you have had some success in learning it where you failed with the precision necessary for our own powers. You lack the attention to detail that arcane magic requires, but you have the strength of will to work divine magic, apparently." 

"Something like that," Rishi said with a shrug. 

"Now," Abikarin said, turning to Tikari. "As for you, my dear young Handene, are you a mage yourself, then?" 

Tikari shook her head. "No, just a rogue. I never really had the opportunity to learn magic, anyway." 

"You'd be a natural at it, I'm sure," Abikarin said. "But a rogue, you say? Working with the likes of paladins? A most peculiar turn of events, if I must say so myself." 

"It's a long story, really," Tikari said. 

"Would you be interested in learning a bit of magic, my dear?" 

Tikari's eyes widened and she almost spilled her tea. "Me? Learn magic, from you? I would be most honored, Master Azvara." 

"We're going to be leaving town tomorrow, though," Rishi said. "We're on an important mission and we don't know when we'll be back." Tikari shot him a look of some disappointment, and he had to wonder if she'd have just have ditched the entire mission if she could get away with it. 

"Ah, I see," Abikarin said, smiling warmly. "No matter. It will provide a great opportunity, certainly. Here, I have an idea." He sat down his teacup and walked over to peruse a bookshelf at the side of the room thoughtfully, before pulling out a book. "A beginner's book of magic. I apologize if it seems condescending to an adult in its content, as it was intended for Glemarn children around the age of five or six years old. But I would be happy to allow the betrothed of my grandson borrow it for a time." 

"She's not my--" 

"I most appreciate the offer, Master Azvara," Tikari interrupted, casting a brief glare to Rishi. "I'd be more than glad to take you up on it." 

Abikarin spoke some strange words and waved his fingers over the book, and then said, "I have enspelled the book to allow only you to read it. Oh, and Rishi as well, if he so desires to attempt his beginning runes again. Anyone else will find only gibberish." 

"I'd find gibberish too," Rishi put in dryly as his grandfather handed the book to Tikari. 

"Many thanks to you, good sir," Tikari said, opening the book to stare intently at the first few pages. "I will be certain to put this opportunity to good use." 

"And for the last time, I am not marrying her!" Rishi let out a sigh of exasperation. 

"No?" Abikarin said. "We shall see. Give it time. Although perhaps I should simply adopt her instead. Then you would be unable to marry her for being related, and I imagine you would regret your hasty dismissal." 

"I hate you both," Rishi muttered. 

"So," Abikarin said, turning back to Rishi. "You will be away for a time, and uncertain when you might return, and you decided to see your old grandfather again before you set off. I am touched by your display of continued loyalty." 

Rishi opened his mouth and held up a finger to reply, then just sighed and shook his head. What was the use in arguing about it? He'd always hated talking with his grandfather for just that reason. The old warlock always seemed to have a way to twist and turn his words against him, no matter what he tried to say. 

"Rishi should be glad to have family such as you," Tikari said with a grin, glancing up from the book. 

Rishi just snorted softly. "We have a lot of preparations to make yet," he said. "We should be going now." 

Tikari said, "I'll be sure to study this well and return it whenever we get back. Thank you again." 

"Farewell, then. And good luck to both of you," Abikarin said. 

Rishi headed outside, followed by Tikari. Once safely out the door, he hissed to her, "What in the hells was that all about?" 

"What?" Tikari said innocently. 

"You know perfectly well what," Rishi said, trudging back across town and silently fuming inside. "All this making jokes at my expense. That wasn't funny, you know." 

"Oh, relax," Tikari said. "You take yourself much too seriously! No wonder you decided to become a paladin." 

"And some people don't take themselves seriously enough. Everything's always a joke to you Handenes. You have no idea what I went through growing up with them, and then instead of supporting me you take it upon yourself to gang up on me, laugh at me, and torment me mercilessly." 

"Well, sorry," Tikari said, looking a little miffed. "It's just a bit of harmless fun, you know?" 

"And what do you think the other paladins are going to say when they see you with that?" Rishi said, pointing to the book in her hands. 

Tikari shrugged and tucked it away in her bag. "I don't know, what will they? It's just basic magic, isn't it? Does your family normally teach their toddlers how to summon demons or the like?" 

"No, but... gah, I give up," Rishi sighed again. This was going to be a long mission, he thought to himself.


	11. Faith

It was a brisk morning as the five of them left the safety of the town and headed for the edge of the sanctuary. Rishi had never really noticed it before, but there was a ring of oak trees at the edge of town, all the same size and age. He probably wouldn't have even noticed it then if the girls hadn't pointed it out to him. 

"This is the boundary of the sanctuary," Nia explained. "From here on, we risk encounter with the enemy." 

"Huh," Tikari said thoughtfully, reaching out a hand to touch one of the oak trees. "Interesting. I can feel something here, where it ends." 

Nia nodded. "There's also a similar circle of trees around the druid grove to protect it as well." 

"These trees must have been planted at least a hundred years ago!" Tikari said. "How long have you been preparing for this contingency plan?" 

"Two hundred years, in fact," Nia said smugly. "It was when Shalosh Ora first settled in Fairgrove..." 

"Wait a minute," Rishi interrupted. "Father Shalosh is over two hundred years old?" 

"Closer to three hundred, actually," Baz said. "You didn't know that?" 

Rishi blinked for a moment. "I could swear he looks like he's in his sixties. How is he even still alive?" 

"What? Your grandfather is the same age as him," Baz replied, looking at him in puzzlement. 

"My grandfather is almost three hundred years old?" Rishi said, sputtering in disbelief. "And he never mentioned this to me?" 

"Oh, yeah, they were something of rivals when they were younger," Baz said. 

"I knew _that_ part," Rishi said. "But he never exactly laid out a timeline for me or anything. So, how?" 

"Well, magic, of course," Baz said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "How else?" 

"Funny," Tikari said with a wry grin. "I think the whole world probably knows more about Abikarin Azvara than his own grandson." 

"Har har," Rishi said. "Let's get moving." 

They set off past the ring of nearly identical oak trees and into the untouched wilderness beyond. Rishi had never been this far from town, and was a little uncomfortable being so far from the buildings and other people, but he tried to hide it. He didn't think he was very successful at that, but at least the others refrained from comment. 

Likewise, Rishi refrained from staring too hard when Nia went up to a squirrel and started chattering away. He hadn't really had much chance before to see just what druids did, either. He had assumed that her mention of communicating with animals meant some sort of telepathic thing, but there she was, making animal noises as if it were the most normal thing in the world. 

After a few minutes, Nia turned to the others and said, "They've seen the crusaders in the forest. There are a lot of them, and they're scaring the animals and being very careless toward the wilderness." 

"I was afraid they'd head straight for Fairgrove," Tikari said darkly. 

"How can we get close enough to find out what they're doing or planning without them noticing us?" Rishi wondered. 

"I could sneak up close to them," Tikari suggested. 

"As could I," Nia added, casting a sidelong look at Tikari. 

"We could get a good view of the countryside from on top of Bald Hill," Gesher said. 

"Yeah, and be seen by everyone within miles," Baz added. 

"We'd just have to be careful," Gesher said. 

They turned to Rishi. "So, what's your decision, noble leader?" 

Rishi didn't think the idea of sending the girls sneaking around sounded like such a great plan. "We're going to Bald Hill," he said. "Let's just not light any campfires on top of it or anything, okay?" 

"Yes, sir," Baz said with a faint smirk. 

"I'm sure I could get a close look without being spotted," Tikari argued. 

"No," Rishi said. "It's too dangerous. Come on." 

He led them off toward the nearby hill, climbing up its gentle slopes that rose above the forest canopy. It was well past noon by the time they reached the sun-drenched hilltop, barren and rocky overlooking the countryside. With the clear view now, he could see off in the wilderness the telltale signs of twisting lines of smoke drifting to the sky. 

"The animals don't like this," Nia murmured, gazing down toward the crusader encampment in the distance. "The forest is agitated." 

Baz leaned against a rock and peered off in that direction. "Bah. I've half a mind to peel off my armor and sprawl out on a rock and take a nap." 

"Baz!" Rishi snapped. 

"What?" Baz said with a smirk. "I didn't say I was actually going to. Besides, they're miles away from here." 

Regardless, they did pull out their packs and settle in for some lunch, all the while keeping an eye on the army in the distance. It didn't appear that anyone had spotted them from this far away, especially through the trees, at least. Baz had the best eyes, so he stayed on watch most of the time, like a falcon perched on his roost, waiting and eager to swoop in at the slightest sign of movement. Tikari took the time out to bring out her book and peruse it some more. 

Nia glanced over and commented, "Oh, I didn't realize you could read." 

Tikari snorted softly but didn't comment. Gesher said, "Is that a magic book?" 

"Uh-huh," Tikari said. "I'm going to be a great mage!" 

"Beats being a rogue, at least," Baz said without turning to look. 

Rishi wondered if they'd take it so well if she also mentioned where she'd gotten it, but they weren't about to hear it from him. "Yeah," he agreed. "Giving up that life of crime is certainly a good idea." 

After a while, Baz said, "Guys? Something's happening down there." 

The others turned to look. Before, it had been difficult to tell just where precisely the army was besides where their campfires had left smoke trails twining up into the sky. Now, however, something was very wrong. More smoke began pouring out of the trees, and leaves moved in places and gave way to openings in the canopy. 

"They're chopping down trees!" Nia said, gaping openly in horror. 

"They're going to set the whole place on fire at this rate," Tikari said. 

"I don't believe this," Rishi said, staring down the hill. He realized that standing up as they were, with the army cutting holes in the forest clear to the sky, they were quite open and vulnerable up here, but he didn't really care much at the moment. "Are they really that crazy?" 

"Yes," Tikari said. "Yes, they are. These people were branding themselves with fire to mark themselves as members of their new religion. Is there anything that can be done to stop them? What would happen if they reached that ring of oaks?" 

"The sanctuary spell would be broken," Nia said. "It depends on the forest being there to work. If they just go and burn down the whole forest, Fairgrove will be destroyed too." 

"We've got to do something," Baz said. 

"We should go help defend the town," Gesher said. 

Nia whistled, and called down a crow from the sky. After cawing at it for a minute and bribing it with a bit of food, the bird flew off in the direction of Fairgrove. "That's as much warning as I can give them," she said. 

Down below, the fires were spreading. The torches of the enemy looked like small red stars in the distance. Black smoke billowed up into the sky, obscuring their vision. The leafy crests of the trees shook and many of them fell beneath the axes of the crusade. 

"Sir Rishi?" Gesher said. "What are our orders?" 

Rishi was conflicted. It offended his sense of honor to abandon his town in its hour of need, but if they didn't stop the crusade, who would? They were the only ones who had known Pontikos well enough to try to change the course of this army, never mind knew enough about what was going on. Still, it didn't feel right. He had to go with what his heart told him was the right thing to do. 

"Rishi?" Baz prompted. 

"We go back," Rishi said. "We're going to defend the city, hopeless or not." 

"Yes, sir!" Gesher said. 

"So we go to die?" Tikari said uncertainly. "Who will stop the crusade then?" She sighed softly. "But if that's how it's going to be, then I will fight and die by your side." 

Rishi nodded to her, quietly appreciating her loyalty despite not being one of them, and said, "Let's go." He headed off down the slope and into the forest again, the others following close behind. It was a fair walk, but they managed to intercept the oncoming army outside the ring of oaks. Drawing blades, they set upon the enemy, taking what small advantage they could from the fanatics' distraction. 

After they dispatched a small group of zealots at the front, Tikari cocked her head and peered off at nothing suddenly. "I feel something. Something... shifted." 

"I hear the trees," Nia murmured. The branches above them shook, and began to move on their own, reaching out like arms toward the attackers. 

"What in the hells?" Baz said. 

"Was it something the druids did?" Rishi wondered. 

"I don't know," Nia said. 

The fanatics flailed about, screaming in panic and striking with swords, axes, and torches as the entire forest seemed to be turning on them. Trees reached out with finger-like branches to claw at their victims or strangle them to death. Rishi and his team were untouched, however. The trees clearly knew friend from foe. 

A man appeared in front of Rishi, torch and sword in hand. Rishi blocked his wild swing with his buckler. He thrust his sword at the attacker's unarmored chest, skewering him neatly. The young man looked at his killer in shock for a moment before realizing he was dead, and weapons dropped from limp hands. 

Blood spilled to the ground as Rishi pulled free his blade, and he quickly smothered the fallen torch before it spread. With the melee in the immediate vicinity dying down, Rishi was left to a moment to look at what he had done. His victim must have been no older than he was when he first joined the paladin school. By his blond hair and red tunic, he might have been a Venari. 

"Problems, Rishi?" Tikari said. Startled, Rishi jumped a little when she came up behind him. 

"Er, no, no, not at all," Rishi said hastily, wiping off his sword. 

Tikari glanced down at the corpse. "Don't tell me you've never killed a man before." 

"Okay, I won't, then." 

She stared at him for a moment. "You're what, twenty, twenty-one? And you've been training to be a paladin?" 

Around them, trees were settling back into their places, rooting themselves down again with an almost audible sigh. "Is it really so strange to you that I've never killed before? I've never even left Fairgrove before." Rishi found himself shaking a little. He didn't like having to defend himself like this. 

"I'm sure it won't be the last, either," Tikari said. "You're a warrior now. You'll get used to it." 

"I just can't help but wonder, did he really deserve it? This could have been me, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Just another kid mixed up in things he didn't understand." 

Tikari shook her head. "Don't recriminate yourself. He was the enemy." 

"If you hadn't gotten him, the trees would've," Baz put in. "I've never seen such a thing! That was amazing!" 

"You don't feel bad about this at all, Baz?" Rishi said. 

"Hells, no. Those people were out to kill my friends and family. They had it coming to them." 

Nia made a face, gripping her staff with both hands and looking down solemnly at the bodies on the ground. "May the earth reclaim these fallen dead, and bring life anew from those who were taken from this life too soon. May these wasted lives not have died wholly in vain. May their blood quench the fires of hatred and destruction that rage throughout this land." 

"May it be so," Rishi murmured wholeheartedly. 

He hadn't expected the crusade to end quite like this, so suddenly and bloodily, but he had never realized just what the druids might be capable of. Putting away his sword and shield, he turned and headed back to Fairgrove, the others following. 

It was late in the evening when they got back to town, and the sun was starting to set. Sir Garzen met them and said, "Back so soon?" 

Rishi shrugged. "I suppose we weren't necessary after all. The whole crusade must have been destroyed by those trees. Good on the druids, I guess." 

Garzen smirked at him. "Far from it. The druids protected the town admirably, to be sure, but you realize there were druids in the enemy army as well?" 

"There were?" 

Garzen nodded. "The druids said they felt their spells being resisted after a certain point. They were only effective fairly close to town, apparently. Most of the enemy army got away, I imagine, never mind that I doubt they brought their entire army here anyway. I'd be surprised if they didn't have recruiters sent out to every nearby town, as well." 

"Oh," Rishi said, suddenly feeling foolish. 

"You went and fought them, didn't you," Garzen said, looking at their blood-splattered clothing. "Did you think you were going to take on the whole crusade by yourselves?" 

"No," Rishi said. "But I couldn't allow them to destroy Fairgrove, even if the battle were hopeless, I had to do something." 

"Your courage is admirable, but you have to remember there's more than just your own life at stake here," Garzen said. "And while the paladins with you may be happy to lay down their lives for nothing, would the ladies feel the same way?" 

Rishi looked sheepishly at Nia and Tikari. "They did follow me." 

Garzen snorted. "No more heroics, unless you actually think you can win a battle yourself. Have a little faith in us. We can take care of ourselves. But we need you out there and alive to be our eyes and ears. We need to know where the rest of the army is going next now that they know they can't take Fairgrove, for starters." 

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." 

"So long as you're here, you may as well get some rest before heading out again in the morning," Garzen said. "And clean off that mail. What kind of paladin are you if you let your armor rust or get caked with blood?" 

"Yes, sir." 

While Rishi was cleaning off his chain mail, Tikari approached him again and said quietly, "It's really bothering you, isn't it." 

Rishi grunted and didn't reply. He didn't want any false comforts or reassurances, but he wasn't about to tell her to go away and give him some space or anything. 

Tikari sat down next to him. "I would have thought that your training would have better prepared you for real combat." 

"Sure, we learned to fight," Rishi said. "We learned some magic, also, though not as much as a true cleric." 

"That's not what I meant." Tikari shook her head. "You know how Venari trains their warriors? The way they dehumanize their enemies, to see them not as people but as faceless goons to be cut down?" 

"That's horrible." 

"It's practical. When your job is killing people, you don't have time to feel guilty about what you're doing. Worse, hesitation in such an instance could cost you your life, or the lives of those you care about." 

Rishi sighed and pulled off his helmet to rub his head. "I'll do what needs to be done, gods forgive me, but I hope it never becomes easy to kill. That would be a sure sign I've gone over the line." 

"So that's what they teach you in paladin school, is it," Tikari said. "I suppose Korata is all about making people feel guilty. I guess I can't say too much about it, but it seems to me an ineffective way of building an army." 

"Someone has to care about human life. That seems distressingly rare of late. Father Shalosh always said that sometimes killing is necessary. But you can be assured that I'll leave any doubts or guilt for after the danger has passed. I'll not see any harm come to you or the others because of my actions, or lack thereof." 

"They didn't teach you how to be a leader, either, did they," Tikari said. 

Rishi smirked. "I'm trying, okay? Sure, we had classes, and exercises, and whatnot, but that was different. Now, people's lives hang on my every word. I can only hope I can put what I've learned to good use." 

"Try not to doubt yourself so much," Tikari said. "That sort of thing _will_ get you, and the rest of us, killed. Even if you're not entirely sure a decision is the right one, it's _your_ decision, and you'd better be prepared to stand by it." 

Rishi sighed. "I'll try."


	12. Questions

Rishi, finding it difficult to sleep, woke before dawn and headed out of the paladin complex without even stopping to see if there was any breakfast available yet. Instead, he set off across town for the Azvara house again. It felt strange going here again for the second time in a week after avoiding it for so long. He let himself inside and wandered around looking for his grandfather. Thankfully at this hour, he didn't expect to see any other relatives about, and he wasn't disappointed. 

He found Abikarin Azvara in the study, surprisingly still awake and reading a large tome. "Back so soon?" Abikarin said, looking up at him. 

"I wanted to talk to you," Rishi said. 

"I see. Is your betrothed well?" 

Rishi ignored the question. "Why didn't you tell me you're really three hundred years old?" 

"Two hundred and eighty-four," Abikarin replied, quirking an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest? I did not believe it was of any significant importance. It would have certainly come up had your studies reached the point of learning about longevity magic." 

"Longevity magic?" Rishi said. "I can't imagine that you and Shalosh would use the same methods, either." 

"No," Abikarin said. "With him, well, it was the strength of his powers of light that slowed his aging drastically. He was the light's chosen champion for a good two hundred years." He snorted softly. "Naturally, I couldn't allow this to go unchecked. He was always so full of himself and convinced of his self-righteousness, even when he committed atrocities that would make the staunchest Azvara flinch. I arranged matters of my own to ensure that I would be around to keep him in check for a good long while yet." 

Rishi stared at him in disbelief. "What 'atrocities' did Shalosh commit?" 

"He has not seen fit to tell you about his days as a knight of 'justice', hmm? I would be lying if I said I were surprised at that. He was practically a mass murderer in his younger days, all in the name of the light. This crusade, had it happened two hundred years prior, would have easily had Shalosh Ora at the head of it. The witch hunts he led once were spectacular. I had some appreciation for the amount of sheer destruction he had wrecked, if only he had not been so holier-than-thou about it all and convinced that it was all for the greater good." 

"Are you trying to turn me against Shalosh and what I'm doing here?" 

Abikarin looked surprised. "Of course not. Why would I do something like that? I am simply relating to you his good points. There is more to being a paladin than charity and compassion, and a good thing there is. Being a paladin means that you can kill and get away with it. People will only look up to you all the more when you claim that your act of murder was in the best interests of the light. Quite an intriguing scheme, if you can pull it off." 

Rishi felt a knot in his stomach, and he looked at Abikarin in disgust. "That's not what it's about at all!" 

Abikarin sighed. "Unfortunately many paladins wind up believing their own lies. A sad thing to see that you have bought into them as well. But take my words and learn from them as you can, and take a look at those around you, and watch. You shall see the truth of it in time, I am certain." 

Shaking his head, Rishi turned and headed out of the mansion as quickly as he could. He would not believe this slander of the cause he had committed himself to. He pushed it out of mind for the moment and calmed himself with an effort.


End file.
